Julia Cope

University of Pennsylvania

Based in

United States
North America

Cope studies how groups of people (such as corporations, social movements, and the media) construct ideas and (future) imaginaries about the environment and climate change. Through computational and qualitative analysis, Cope investigates how energy corporations and environmental social movements contribute to the global discourse of what should be done to address the climate crisis. In Cope’s working paper, “Capturing Climate Claims: A computational text analysis of energy company press releases,” which won the 2023 IAMCR Climate Change Communication Award, computational analysis is used to examine 22 years of press releases from major U.S. energy corporations. Cope’s work explores the evolution of climate communication over time within the socio-historical context of public perceptions, policy changes, and scientific developments. Drawing on theoretical frameworks of discourse, institutions, social movements, and revolutions, Cope’s work aims to understand the ongoing struggle between groups of people to define climate change and shape recommended actions.