Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives

Joanna Krajewski; Maxwell Bernstein; Rachel Fisher

REVIEW 3 major objections 3 minor 16 references

Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives

T0 review · 3 major / 3 minor · reviewed 2026-08-06 · deepseek-v4-flash

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Pith's one-line read Institutional press releases increasingly frame quantum technologies as vital climate tools, and this thematic analysis of 100 documents maps ten recurring narratives behind that claim.

desk verdict Useful but provisional: the first thematic map of quantum-climate press releases, undermined by an unexplained 100-of-305 sample selection and unfinished manuscript details. read the letter →

arxiv 2507.13600 v1 pith:MRDLKWG7 submitted 2025-07-18 physics.soc-ph

Maxwell Bernstein , Joanna Krajewski , Rachel Fisher This is my paper · ORCID

classification physics.soc-ph

keywords quantumtechnologyclimatechangepressreleasesthematicanalysisconstantcomparativemethodsciencecommunicationframingnarratives

verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

The paper tries to establish how institutional press releases talk about quantum technology as an answer to climate change. It analyzes 100 press releases from academia, government, and industry, selected from a NexisUni search covering January 1 to June 1, 2024, and distills them into ten narrative themes. The leading theme frames quantum computing as a transformative climate solution, from climate modeling to sustainable materials and energy optimization, with risk, equity, and geopolitical concerns present but secondary. The authors argue this discourse matters because it shapes public expectations, policy choices, funding priorities, and the prospects for democratizing quantum technologies.

What carries the argument

The key machinery is the Constant Comparative Method of Qualitative Analysis, a coding procedure in which each press release is constantly compared with previously coded ones so categories emerge from the data rather than being imposed in advance. The researchers applied over 8,500 codes to 100 releases using MAXQDA software, first inductively and then deductively, and refined them into ten themes. This method carries the argument because the paper's claim about how quantum is framed rests entirely on the themes this coding process generated, and on the sectoral coding that separates academic, government, and industry sources.

What would settle it

Re-run the analysis on a random sample of all 305 documents returned by the stated NexisUni search for quantum and climate terms from January 1 to June 1, 2024, with the selection rule written down in advance. If 'Quantum as a Climate Solution' is not the dominant frame in that sample, or if themes like Strategic Geopolitics overtake it, the paper's central claim about how quantum is framed would be falsified.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

On the paper's own terms, the central discovery is a thematic map: quantum technologies are positioned as vital tools for climate action through ten recurring frames—among them quantum as a climate solution, synergy with AI and other emerging technologies, hope versus caution about risks and ethics, government and industry investment, academic leadership, equity and inclusion, strategic geopolitics, AI governance, and ecosystem building. The paper reports that this framing crosses academia, government, and industry, and that the dominant tone is optimistic, with cybersecurity, ethical uncertainty, and access gaps acknowledged as secondary qualifications. It treats these themes as evidence that institutions are actively constructing quantum's societal role, not simply describing its technical capabilities.

Load-bearing premise

The central claim rests on the assumption that the 100 press releases coded here fairly represent all quantum-climate press-release discourse from January to June 2024, even though the paper does not explain how those 100 were chosen from the 305 documents retrieved.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

If the framing is as dominant as the analysis suggests, funders and policymakers are absorbing a promotional story in which quantum already matters for climate, which can steer money toward quantum R&D before applications are proven.
Quantum and AI are presented as a package; evaluating either technology's climate contribution separately would miss the hybrid-ecosystem narrative the paper identifies.
Because ethical and equity themes remain secondary, governance conversations may be slower than investment conversations, leaving cybersecurity and access gaps less visible in public discourse.
The ten themes provide a baseline for tracking whether quantum-climate narratives shift as commercialization progresses and as the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology unfolds.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

The paper's own discussion hints that the promotional framing it documents is a form of hype that could backfire if climate wins fail to arrive on schedule; that consequence is an inference, not a finding.
A natural next test would be to code a random sample from the full 305-document corpus and see whether the ten themes and the dominance of 'Quantum as a Climate Solution' persist, since the paper leaves the sampling method unexplained.
One could also compare press-release claims against peer-reviewed assessments of quantum's near-term climate applications to separate narrative promise from technical feasibility.
If sectoral differences are tracked over a longer window, industry releases might shift from materials-discovery promises to delivered deployments, which would change the thematic emphasis.

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Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, and a circularity audit.

Desk Editor's Note

read the letter

The one thing to know: this is a readable, honest thematic analysis of 100 press releases at the quantum-climate intersection, and it is the first to map that corpus. But the central sampling step—how 100 documents were chosen from the 305 NexisUni hits—is never explained, so the descriptive themes should be read as illustrative, not definitive. The stress-test note is on target.

What it does well: the research gap is real and clearly stated. The ten themes are each supported by direct quotations, and the sectoral coding (academia, government, industry) is a sensible addition. The Discussion makes appropriate connections to Suter et al.'s narrative categories, the hype helix, and democratization debates, and the Limitations section candidly acknowledges subjectivity, lack of generalizability, and limited replicability. Given this is an inductive qualitative study with no equations or fitted parameters, the circularity concern does not apply.

The soft spots are real but addressable. First and most important: the 100-from-305 selection is unexplained. No random draw, no quota, no inclusion/exclusion criteria. With 'dominant themes' asserted without frequency counts or inter-coder reliability data, the central claim that press releases predominantly frame quantum as a climate solution could reflect the authors' selection rather than institutional discourse. The Limitations say 'purposive sample,' but the Results and Discussion still generalize fairly broadly. Second, the manuscript is unfinished: the Discussion contains placeholder citations ('Suter et al.'s (date)'), and one quotation in the Results is dated 05 March 2023, outside the stated January–June 2024 window. Neither is fatal, but both suggest sloppy final editing. Third, novelty is modest—standard thematic analysis applied to a new text type, with several themes overlapping the five categories Suter et al. already identified. That is not a flaw, but it limits the significance.

Who this is for: science communicators, policy scholars, and quantum outreach researchers looking for a qualitative baseline on how institutions narrate quantum's role in climate action. It deserves a serious referee, but with major revision required: document the sampling protocol, report code frequencies or at least justify the 'dominant' claim with more than representative quotes, and fix the placeholder citations and out-of-window quote. I would send it to review rather than desk reject it, and I would reject any revised version that still leaves the sample selection unexplained.

Referee Report

3 major / 3 minor

Summary. This paper presents a qualitative thematic analysis of 100 press releases about quantum technologies and climate change, collected from the NexisUni database for January 1 through June 1, 2024. Using Glaser's constant comparative method with MAXQDA software, the authors identify ten themes, the central one being that quantum technologies are framed as vital tools for climate action, alongside synergy with AI, risk and ethics discourse, government and industry investment, academic leadership, equity concerns, geopolitics, AI governance, and ecosystem building. The Discussion connects these themes to prior research on quantum narratives and reflects on hype, democratization, and responsible innovation. The Limitations section candidly acknowledges non-generalizability, researcher subjectivity, and limited replicability.

Significance. If its findings hold, this study fills a genuine gap in the communication literature by providing an early descriptive map of how institutional press releases frame quantum technologies as climate solutions, with direct relevance to the UN's International Year of Quantum Science and Technology in 2025. The paper's strengths include the use of an established qualitative methodology, extensive coding effort (over 8,500 codes), direct quotations as evidence for each theme, and an unusually candid limitations section that names researcher bias and limited replicability. The central empirical claim, however, rests on the representativeness of the 100-document sample and on transparent evidence for theme dominance, both of which need to be strengthened before the descriptive conclusions can be accepted.

major comments (3)

[Methodology (Sample)] The sample is described as 100 press releases 'selected from 305 documents collected via the NexisUni database' without any selection rule, random draw, quota, or inclusion/exclusion criteria. Because every thematic finding is a claim about what institutional press-release discourse does, an unexplained convenience-driven or purpose-driven selection would make the reported themes—and especially the claim that 'Quantum as a Climate Solution' is dominant—an artifact of sample choice rather than a property of the corpus. Please report the full selection protocol, including deduplication and screening steps, or re-analyze a random sample to show robustness.
[Results (Quantum as a Climate Solution)] The first illustrative quotation in the Results is dated 05 March 2023 (Agence France Presse – English), which is outside the stated study window of January 1 to June 1, 2024. This suggests that the NexisUni document set was not rigorously checked against the search date range, and it raises doubt about whether all 100 documents actually fall within the stated inclusion window. All sources should be re-verified against the date range, and the methodology should explain how document dates were confirmed.
[Results and Table 1] The paper repeatedly calls 'Quantum as a Climate Solution' a 'dominant theme' and states that the themes 'reflect a dominant narrative pattern,' but no frequency, percentage, code-count, or inter-coder data are reported for any theme. With only illustrative quotations, the reader cannot distinguish a theme present in most documents from one present in only a few. Given that over 8,500 codes were applied, reporting document-level theme presence or code counts per theme and per sector would directly substantiate—or appropriately qualify—the dominance claim.

minor comments (3)

[Discussion] The Discussion cites 'Suter et al. (date)' and 'Suter’s (date)' without publication years, and the Introduction cites 'Suter et al., n.d.' without a corresponding reference entry; these citations should be completed and reconciled with the reference list.
[Figure 1] Figure 1 is captioned but never referenced in the text; add a sentence in the Methodology or Results describing what it depicts (for example, a screenshot of the MAXQDA code structure).
[Discussion, page 18] There are several typographical and grammatical slips, including 'this studies findings' and 'in of advancing quantum technologies'; a full proofread is needed.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged · score 0.0 of 10

No circularity: the thematic analysis codes press-release texts directly, with no fitted parameters, self-citation chain, or definitional reduction.

full rationale

This paper is an inductive qualitative thematic analysis, not a derivation with fitted parameters or imported self-cited theorems. The ten themes are generated from the 100 press-release texts through constant comparative coding (Glaser, 1965), and the Results support each theme with direct quotations from the releases. There are no equations in which an output is defined by an input, no parameter fitted to a subset and then renamed a prediction, and no load-bearing self-citations: the authors cite prior work (e.g., Suter et al., Roberson et al., Seskir et al.) only for context and comparison in the Literature Review and Discussion, not to define the findings. The acknowledged limitations—purposive sampling, keyword-filter dependence, researcher judgment, and limited replicability—are expressly stated in the Limitations section and are validity or generalizability concerns, not circularity. The unexplained selection of 100 documents from 305 is a methodological-transparency issue, but it does not make the claims circular, because the themes are still derived from the documents actually analyzed rather than being presupposed by the method.

Assumptions & free parameters 0 free parameters · 3 assumptions · 0 invented entities

No fitted parameters or invented entities are involved because this is qualitative coding rather than a quantitative or theoretical derivation. The central claim rests on domain assumptions about the corpus and about the reliability of the coding method, both of which are only partially supported in the manuscript.

assumptions (3)

domain assumption The Constant Comparative Method, as applied by the authors, yields themes that reflect communication patterns in the data rather than researcher imposition.
The paper follows Glaser (1965) and reports over 8,500 codes, but provides no codebook, no intercoder reliability statistic, and no audit trail. The validity of the ten-theme structure rests on this methodological assumption.
domain assumption Documents retrieved from NexisUni with the stated keyword filters are press releases and are representative of institutional discourse on quantum and climate.
The Methodology section states the corpus is 100 press releases selected from 305 NexisUni documents using two keyword groups, but the paper does not verify the source types beyond the database label and does not justify how 100 of the 305 were sampled.
domain assumption Thematic saturation was reached at 100 articles.
The paper states that coding continued until additional data no longer provided new insights, but no saturation test, negative case analysis, or stopping rule is reported.

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Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/MRDLKWG7

@misc{pith2026250713600,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/MRDLKWG7}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:2507.13600}
}

read the original abstract

The climate crisis demands innovative solutions and quantum technologies are considered by some a potential solution (Berger et al., 2021; Calvin et al., 2023). The United Nations declared 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (United Nations, 2024), focusing on applications for quantum technologies. Quantum technologies, leveraging quantum mechanics, offer unprecedented computational power (Ajagekar & You, 2022) and sensitivity (Schleich et al., 2016) that could revolutionize various sectors, including climate action. However, an understanding of how discourse from academia, government, and industry frames quantum technologies as a climate solution is lacking (Suter, Ma, & P\"ohlmann, 2024). This research aims to fill this gap by analyzing the narratives in press releases and helping inform a successful democratization of quantum technologies.

Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

16 extracted references · 16 canonical work pages

[1]

The authors report no competing interests to declare

Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives 1 Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives Maxwell Bernstein, Joanna Krajewski, and Rachel Fisher School of Journalism and Mass Communication The University of Iowa Author Note This research received no exter...

work page 2021
[5]

determine how to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to help rein in climate change

Summary of Themes Theme Summary Quantum as a Climate Solution Quantum computing is framed as a transformative tool for improving climate modeling, discovering sustainable materials, and optimizing energy systems. This theme also includes the recognition of climate change as a threat. Synergy Between Quantum and Emerging Technologies Quantum technologies a...

work page 2023
[6]

a computer able to guess all possible password combinations at Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives 11 once

These examples point to an evolving discourse where quantum is not isolated but deeply interwoven with broader innovations. Hope vs. Caution: Risks and Ethics While many press releases emphasized quantum promises, several highlighted ethical and security concerns, painting a more nuanced picture. A common fear is quantum’s potential to break modern encryp...

work page 2024
[7]

quantum-ready workforce

and launching scholarship schemes to build a “quantum-ready workforce” (Impact News Service, Building an emerging technology pipeline in regional Australia, 25 January 2024). Press releases also mentioned establishing technology transfer programs in academia (Targeted News Service, MIT Tops Among Single-Campus Universities in U.S. Patents Granted, 11 Apri...

work page 2024
[8]

Technological development is making the cyber equity gap stark within and between countries

Some also highlighted divides involving cybersecurity and access to technology, as the below demonstrates: As organizations race to adopt new technologies, such as generative AI, they should not lose sight of the risks created by well-flagged near-future applications of other technologies, such as quantum computing. Technological development is making the...

work page 2024
[9]

agile governance

This theme underscores concerns around fairness, justice, harm reduction, and inclusivity in shaping the future quantum landscape. Strategic Geopolitics and Sovereignty Quantum was also framed within a geopolitical context, often as a race for technological supremacy. Press releases from China, Canada, and the U.S. emphasized the role of quantum in nation...

work page 2024
[10]

data centre operators, enterprise users, and equipment suppliers

Another example from Singapore described how coordinated partnerships between “data centre operators, enterprise users, and equipment suppliers” (States News Service, DPM Heng Swee Keat at the Asia tech x Singapore 2024 opening ceremony, 30 May

work page 2024
[11]

Technical Aspects & Applications

to launch a new Tropical Data Centre standard to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency for AI and data storage. These narratives emphasized that no single actor could deliver transformation alone; instead, the releases emphasize that systemic collaboration is vital for climate impact and innovation success. Discussion There are several meaningful...

work page 2024

Show all 16 references

[13]

Hope vs. Caution

and applying over 8,500 codes to 100 press releases required sustained effort, iteration, and deep Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives 24 familiarity with the content. Alternative methods of analysis could more efficie...

2022
[41]

https://doi.org/10.3390/soc12020041

doi
[130]

C., Umbrello, S., Coenen, C., & Vermaas, P

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00340-016-6353-8 Seskir, Z. C., Umbrello, S., Coenen, C., & Vermaas, P. E. (2023). Democratization of quantum technologies. Quantum Science and Technology, 8(2), 024005. https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-9565/acb6ae Suter, V., Ma, C., & Pöhlmann, G. (2024)....

2023 arXiv
[1965]

quantum computer OR quantum technology OR quantum computing

to systematically examine emerging patterns and narratives within a sample of 100 press releases, selected from 305 documents collected via the NexisUni database. Sample To obtain the press releases in our sample, press release documents in Nexis Uni were filtered using the se...

2024
[2016]

Second Quantum Revolution,

that could revolutionize various sectors, including climate action. However, an understanding of how discourse from academia, government, and industry frames quantum technologies as a climate solution is lacking (Suter, Ma, & Pöhlmann, 2024). This research aims to fill this ga...

2023
[2017]

hype helix

could further hinder engagement with necessary stakeholders, lead to a failure of democratization. Toward Responsible Climate-Oriented Innovation This insight is particularly critical when considering quantum’s potential role in addressing climate change. As the results indica...

2023
[2024]

Initially, codes were assigned inductively, meaning they were developed directly from the data without preconceived categories

Analysis The sample was coded and analyzed using MAXQDA software. Initially, codes were assigned inductively, meaning they were developed directly from the data without preconceived categories. As analysis progressed, coding became increasingly deductive, with new data compare...

1965
[2025]

https://documents.un.org/doc/undoc/ltd/n24/131/80/pdf/n2413180.pdf Vermaas, P. E. (2017). The societal impact of the emerging quantum technologies: A renewed urgency to make quantum theory understandable. Ethics and Information Technology, 19(4), 241–246. https://doi.org/10.10...

2017 doi

Pith tools

Reviewed August 6, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.

[1] [1]

The authors report no competing interests to declare

Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives 1 Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives Maxwell Bernstein, Joanna Krajewski, and Rachel Fisher School of Journalism and Mass Communication The University of Iowa Author Note This research received no exter...

work page 2021

[2] [5]

determine how to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to help rein in climate change

Summary of Themes Theme Summary Quantum as a Climate Solution Quantum computing is framed as a transformative tool for improving climate modeling, discovering sustainable materials, and optimizing energy systems. This theme also includes the recognition of climate change as a threat. Synergy Between Quantum and Emerging Technologies Quantum technologies a...

work page 2023

[3] [6]

a computer able to guess all possible password combinations at Can Quantum Physics Help Fight Climate Change? A Thematic Analysis of Press Release Narratives 11 once

These examples point to an evolving discourse where quantum is not isolated but deeply interwoven with broader innovations. Hope vs. Caution: Risks and Ethics While many press releases emphasized quantum promises, several highlighted ethical and security concerns, painting a more nuanced picture. A common fear is quantum’s potential to break modern encryp...

work page 2024

[4] [7]

quantum-ready workforce

and launching scholarship schemes to build a “quantum-ready workforce” (Impact News Service, Building an emerging technology pipeline in regional Australia, 25 January 2024). Press releases also mentioned establishing technology transfer programs in academia (Targeted News Service, MIT Tops Among Single-Campus Universities in U.S. Patents Granted, 11 Apri...

work page 2024

[5] [8]

Technological development is making the cyber equity gap stark within and between countries

Some also highlighted divides involving cybersecurity and access to technology, as the below demonstrates: As organizations race to adopt new technologies, such as generative AI, they should not lose sight of the risks created by well-flagged near-future applications of other technologies, such as quantum computing. Technological development is making the...

work page 2024

[6] [9]

agile governance

This theme underscores concerns around fairness, justice, harm reduction, and inclusivity in shaping the future quantum landscape. Strategic Geopolitics and Sovereignty Quantum was also framed within a geopolitical context, often as a race for technological supremacy. Press releases from China, Canada, and the U.S. emphasized the role of quantum in nation...

work page 2024

[7] [10]

data centre operators, enterprise users, and equipment suppliers

Another example from Singapore described how coordinated partnerships between “data centre operators, enterprise users, and equipment suppliers” (States News Service, DPM Heng Swee Keat at the Asia tech x Singapore 2024 opening ceremony, 30 May

work page 2024

[8] [11]

Technical Aspects & Applications

to launch a new Tropical Data Centre standard to reduce emissions and improve energy efficiency for AI and data storage. These narratives emphasized that no single actor could deliver transformation alone; instead, the releases emphasize that systemic collaboration is vital for climate impact and innovation success. Discussion There are several meaningful...

work page 2024