Media Frame Development of Direct Air Capture 1990-2023: A Comparative Analysis of Europe and North America

Media portrayal of direct air capture (DAC) matters for public opinion and policy. How is DAC framed in the North American and European press, are there differences between the two, and what are the implications for public perceptions of DAC? This study manually coded a 10% sample of North American and European news articles (c.110,000 words), for the period 1990 to 2023. With no prior work on this topic, five generic media frames were used for classification purposes. European articles were found to be more critical than North American articles, more often viewing DAC as an expensive mitigation option. North American articles highlighted the lack of government financial support for DAC. The employment and economic potential of DAC was acknowledged on both continents. While DAC is relatively little framed in relation to human interest, morality or conflict, these may be important in shaping public opinion in future.