The Fourth Edition of the award-winning Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere remains the only comprehensive introduction to the growing field of environmental communication. In the updated and revised edition, Robert Cox and Phaedra C. Pezzullo include four new chapters introducing students to "Visual and Popular Culture Portrayals of the Environment," "Digital Media and Environmental Activism," "Sustainability and the Greening of Campuses and Corporations," and "Citizen's (and Nature's) 'Standing': Environmental Protection and the Law."
All 14 chapters include expanded discussion of key communication concepts, new case studies, and global or international examples. Coverage of recent developments – the impact of digital technologies on environmental journalists, innovations in visual graphics (such as infographics and interactive maps), initiatives by climate scientists and media producers in communicating with the public, growth of digitally-mediated global networks, or debates over legal protection of non-human nature – bring students and teachers up to date in important areas of environmental communication. And case studies of controversies such as hydraulic "fracking," climate change, and the destruction of rainforests, as well as the role of digital "network of networks" in organizing the global People's Climate March – illustrate relevant application of the principles of communication in these environmental events.
Finally, the Fourth Edition includes an expanded Glossary of key terms and new pedagogical materials – "Act Locally!" exercises, "Discussion Questions," and "Suggested Resources" with recommended readings, documentary films, and websites for students and instructors who are interested in further examination of topics covered in each chapter.
New to this edition:
- Four new chapters introduce students to visual and popular culture, digital media and activism, the sustainability of college and corporation campuses, and the legal “standing” of citizens and nature.
- Coverage of recent developments –the impact of digital media technologies on environmental journalists and advocacy organizations, innovative uses of visual communication (live news feeds, infographics, and interactive maps), collaboration practices in natural resource decisions, sustainability campaigns that are making a difference, and more – brings students and teachers up-to-date in important areas of environmental communication.
- More global and diverse images and case studies of environmental leaders, practices, and movements help foster the imagination of students and ground the theories introduced in the text.
- The exploration of controversial topics such as hydraulic "fracking," climate science, and the legal standing of nonhuman species illustrates relevant application of the principles of communication in environmental practices and decision making.
- Act Locally! exercises offer more ways to encourage citizen participation and give students the opportunity to apply the principles of environmental communication to their campus and community.
- Suggested Resources in each chapter continue to provide recommended readings, documentary films, movies, and websites for students and instructors interested in further examination of the topics covered.
Introduction: Speaking for/about the Environment
Part I: Communicating for/about the Environment
Chapter 1: Studying/Practicing Environmental Communication
The Study of Environmental Communication
Nature, Communication, and the Public Sphere
Diverse Voices in a “Green” Public Sphere
Chapter 2: Contested Meanings of Environment
Learning to Love Nature
Wilderness Preservation versus Natural Resource Conservation
Public Health and the Ecology Movement
Environmental Justice: Linking Social Justice and Environmental Quality
Movements for Sustainability and Climate Justice
Part II: Constructions of “the Environment”
Chapter 3: Symbolic Constructions of Environment
A Rhetorical Perspective
Communication Frames
Dominant and Critical Discourses
Chapter 4: The Environment in/of Visual and Popular Culture
The Environment and Popular Culture
Looking at the Environment
Moving Images of Disasters
Green Art, Marketing, and Graphic Design
Chapter 5: News Media and Environmental Journalism (Old and New)
Growth and Changes in Environmental News
News Production and the Environment
Media Effects
Digital Technologies and the Transformation of Environmental
Part III: Communicating in an Age of Ecological Crises
Chapter 6: Scientists, Technology, and Environmental Controversies
Science, Technology, and Symbolic Legitimacy
The Precautionary Principle
Early Warners: Environmental Scientists and the Public
Science and the Trope of Uncertainty
Communicating Climate Science
Chapter 7. Environmental Risk Communication and the Public
Dangerous Environments: Assessing Risk
A Cultural Theory of Risk Assessment
Communicating Environmental Risks in the Public Sphere
Citizens Becoming Scientists
Mainstream News Media and Environmental Risk
Part IV: Environmental Campaigns and Movements
Chapter 8: Advocacy Campaigns and Message Construction
Environmental Advocacy
Environmental Advocacy Campaigns
The Campaign to Protect Zuni Salt Lake
Message Construction
Chapter 9. Digital Media and Environmental Activism
Grassroots Activism and Digital Media
Environmental NGOs and Digital Campaigns
Multimodality and Networked Campaigns
Scaling Up: The “Peoples Climate March”
Chapter 10. Environmental Justice and Climate Justice Movements
Environmental Justice: Challenging a Place Apart
Indecorous Voices and Toxic Tours
The Global Movement for Climate Justice
Chapter 11. Sustainability and the “Greening” of Corporations and Campuses
Sustainability: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Free Market Discourse and the Environment
Corporate Sustainability Communication: Reflection or Deflection?
Greenwashing and the Discourse of Green Consumerism
Communicating Sustainability On and Through Campuses
Part V: Citizen Voices and Environmental Forums
Chapter 12: Public Participation in Environmental Decisions
Right to Know: Access to Information
Right to Comment
SLAPP: Strategic Litigation against Public Participation
Growth of Public Participation Internationally
Chapter 13. Managing Conflict: Collaboration and Environmental Disputes
New Approaches to Environmental Disputes
Collaborating to Resolve Environmental Conflicts
Limits of Collaboration and Consensus
Common Criticisms of Collaboration
Chapter 14: Citizens’ (and Nature’s) “Standing”: Environmental Protection and the Law
Right of Standing and Citizen Suits
Landmark Cases on Environmental Standing
Global Warming and the Right of Standing
Do Future Generations and Non-Human Nature Have a Right of Standing?