LEXICAL PATTERNS IN CLIMATE CRISIS REPORTING IN «THE GUARDIAN»

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of lexical patterns used in the coverage of
the climate crisis in the materials of the British newspaper «The Guardian», known
for its active involvement in environmental issues. The study focuses on how the
choice of words, phraseological constructions and semantic structures affect the
perception of the problem of climate change by readers, as well as the formation of
public opinion about this crisis.
The article carried out a corpus analysis of texts published in «The Guardian»
for the period from 2024 to 2025 to identify the dominant lexical units used to
describe climate change, its consequences and possible solutions. The results of the
study show that «The Guardian» uses a wide range of lexical devices to increase
attention to the climate crisis, in particular by dramatizing the consequences and
emphasizing the urgency of action. At the same time, the newspaper avoids
oversimplification of the problem, offering readers scientifically sound terminology
and a balanced approach to presenting both catastrophic scenarios and opportunities
for overcoming them. There is also a tendency to use inclusive vocabulary, which

emphasizes the global nature of the problem and involves different social groups in
the dialogue.
It is concluded that the lexical patterns of «The Guardian» play a key role in
shaping the climate discourse, contributing to increasing environmental awareness
and motivation for action. The study emphasizes the importance of the media in
constructing public perception of the climate crisis.