Channels, Fall 2018

Channels • 2018 • Volume 3 • Number 1 Page 111 the Russian government without any mention from either entity of environmental concern. “BP Environmental Inquiry” (Kramer, 2008) was deemed negative despite its title since the author implies how environmental concern was used as a cover for political and economic ambitions. The article “Gazprom and Coal” (Kramer, 2008) discussed coal usage, a form of energy leading to high amounts of pollution. “Gazprom in Cuba” (Kramer, 2010) concludes with a section describing the lack of safety and environmental concern in the off-shore drilling process. Finally, “Russian Arctic” (Kramer, 2011), “Greenpeace Charged” (Myers, 2013), and “Oil Exploration in Arctic” (Myers & Krauss, 2015) all deal with Arctic exploration, which is seen negatively as a major environmental threat. Three of the six New York Times articles mentioning Brazil dealt with the political corruption: “Petrobras’ Failings” (Romero, 2013), “Petrobras Scandal” (Romero, 2014), and Petrobras Corruption Scandal” (Horch, 2015). These articles are seen negatively through the absence of any environmental discussion and the implications that government corruption lacks a concern for the environment as opposed to other political objectives. “Stall in Renewables” (Bevins, 2011) also mentions environmental concern unfavorably as Petrobras seeks to expand its pre-salt oil discoveries at the cost of increased GHG emissions. Summing the perceptions of the newspaper articles, it is found that the New York Times views Gazprom positively 18% and views Brazil positively at 33%. 3 It can be concluded Petrobras is seen in a better light with better care for the environment. The following paragraphs describe the content and perceptions of the New York Times articles in greater detail. The European Union’s (EU) energy strategy emphasizes the need to protect the environment and limit climate change through such means as “decarbonization” and use of renewable resources. Natural gas has become a major component of a cleaner energy program as it supplements the use of renewable energy sources. By 2012 there had been discussion of developing a natural gas pipeline that bypasses Russia from the Caspian to the EU. Russia is opposed to such plans, instead seeking approval of its own South Stream pipeline to European nations (Kanter, 2012). Thus, Russia not only possesses a vital energy resource that the rest of Europe seeks to utilize, but negotiations between the two would emphasize greater environmental protection within the energy industry. 3 The percentages were calculated by dividing the number of positive articles by the total number of articles examined in the content analysis.