CET Lunch: Metaphor in discourses of climate action and adaptation

Metaphor is the phenomenon of talking about something in terms of something else (Semino, 2008). For example, when a journalist talks about “the race to a low-carbon economy”, or the fact that large datacentres are “adding an unnecessary hurdle to the…task of keeping the planet from heating” (Harvey, 2025), they are framing climate adaptation in terms of a running race. This enables the journalist to highlight selected aspects of climate adaptation strategically, such as speed in a forward direction, competition, and potential obstacles along the way, whilst downplaying other - perhaps less convenient - aspects, such as the slow pace of transition, its non-linear direction, and many of its inherent injustices (the race might not be a fair one). This presentation focuses on the use of metaphor in discourses of climate action and adaptation. Drawing on my recent PhD and other relevant studies, I will illustrate some of the advantages and limitations that metaphor can have in contexts such as climate activism, policy, and journalism, discuss interesting methodological approaches, and share some of my ongoing research and ideas for the future.

Harvey, F., 2025. AI ‘carries risks’ but will help tackle global heating, says UN’s climate chief. The Guardian.
Semino, E., 2008. Metaphor in Discourse. Cambridge University Press.

About the speaker

I am a researcher of figurative communication, with a particular interest in discourses of climate and environment. My PhD research focused on media discourses of environmental activism and combined insights and methods from applied linguistics, psychology, and environmental communication. I currently hold a temporary research and teaching contract at the University of Oslo.