Smoke and Mirrors: Social Media Coverage of Wildfires in the Age of Climate Change

Executive Summary

The 2024 Jasper wildfire garnered widespread media attention across Canada, despite a smaller total area burned than some catastrophic wildfires that occurred in 2023. This heightened focus may be attributed to the symbolic significance of Jasper National Park, a beloved and iconic Canadian destination, which may have triggered a deeper emotional response from the public as they were witnessing its destruction by the flames.

This report explores public attitudes toward climate change during the 2023 and 2024 wildfire seasons. Given the unparalleled severity of the 2023 wildfire season and the media's heavy coverage of the Jasper wildfire in 2024, the researchers expected these events to influence people's beliefs about climate change. However, the research shows that public concern about climate change stayed mostly unchanged, suggesting that while specific events like the Jasper wildfire capture attention due to their symbolic value, they do not necessarily prompt a broader change in attitudes toward climate issues. A more detailed examination of social media coverage sheds light on possible reasons for this: politicians' and journalists' framing of the Jasper wildfire on social media often centred on the park's status as a national treasure and its iconic beauty, but rarely linked the fire to the broader issue of climate change, which may have contributed to the stagnation in public concern.

Key findings include that the catastrophic Jasper wildfire did not significantly change Canadian attitudes toward climate change; Canadians became more convinced that wildfires were caused by human activity following the Jasper fire; there was little to no discussion of climate change in the social media coverage of wildfires and Jasper; and the information ecosystem responds unevenly to wildfire events — although 2024 was a relatively mild wildfire season compared to 2023, the Jasper wildfire became the most searched and discussed wildfire in Canada in recent years.

Key Takeaways

• The 2024 Jasper wildfire became the most searched and discussed wildfire in Canada in recent years, despite 2024 being a relatively mild season compared to 2023 record-breaking 16.5 million hectares burned.
• Public concern about climate change stayed mostly unchanged before and after the Jasper wildfire.
• There was little to no discussion of climate change in social media coverage of the Jasper wildfire; framing centered on the park status as a national treasure.
• After the Jasper fire, a larger proportion of Canadians attributed wildfires to human activity rather than climate change specifically.
• Canada 2023 wildfire season emitted more carbon than all but three entire countries (China, US, India), and climate change more than doubled the likelihood of extreme fire weather conditions that year.