How do moral values relate to climate change attitudes? An analysis of language use on X (formerly Twitter) and Weibo

Understanding the cultural and moral frameworks that shape public attitudes toward climate change is essential for fostering environmental engagement and sustainable behavior. Using supervised transfer-learning techniques and computational text analysis, this study investigates climate change discourse on X (formerly Twitter) and Sina Weibo, two major social media platforms with contrasting cultural contexts, from 2016 to 2021, focusing on the moral foundations and issue topics driving public attitudes. Climate activism emerges as the dominant stance on both platforms, rooted in the care foundation and reflecting global environmental concern. However, fairness is linked to skepticism on Weibo and neutrality on X, revealing cultural differences in perceptions of climate justice and responsibility. Binding moral foundations prominently relate to activism on Weibo but are associated with neutrality on X. Topic modeling uncovers issue-specific contexts, highlighting the nuanced interplay between cultural norms and moral reasoning in climate communication. These findings emphasize the importance of culturally tailored messaging strategies to foster pro-environmental attitudes and global cooperation in addressing climate change.