Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere, 3rd ed.

Citation

Daniela Maier, C. (2013), "Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere, 3rd ed.", Corporate Communications: An International Journal, Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 280-282. https://doi.org/10.1108/13563281311319535

Obviously, Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere (2013) addresses a wide range of readers from undergraduate students to practitioners interested in environmental issues, as the author points out from the very beginning: “I do not assume any special knowledge on your part about environmental science and politics. Nor do I assume any special knowledge about particular theories of communication” (p. 8). According to its author, Robert Cox, the purposes of this book are to enhance the readers' understanding of “how communication shapes our perceptions of environment” (p. 2), to familiarize them with the media, public forums and communication practices specific to environmental communication, and to make it possible for them to join local and global conversations and debates related to environmental issues.

Although these main purposes have remained constant across editions, the third edition of this comprehensive introduction is definitely marked by the rapid changes that characterise the multiple forms and practices of contemporary communication about the environment. In order to map these changes and their impact, in this new edition that appears just three years after the second one, the author includes a multiplicity of perspectives upon a series of environmental topics related to new media forums, new research and recent controversies. The innovative exploration of these topics in this revised and updated edition is distinguished by the inclusion of new illustrations, cases, sections and chapters.

The book is still structured in five parts, but whereas the second edition had ten chapters, this edition has two more chapters. The first part of the book is concerned with the conceptual and historical contexts. Apart from the chapter focused on the study and practice of environmental communication (Chapter 1) and the chapter dedicated to social‐symbolic constructions of environment (Chapter 3), this part includes a new chapter (Chapter 2) which traces the various (contested) meanings of “environment” mainly in the USA, but also globally. In the first chapter of the book, the author describes the field of environmental communication and its growth, and introduces the main themes of the book. Then, in the second chapter, the author presents how four historical periods have witnessed the appearance of environmental viewpoints which contested the dominant attitudes of the society towards nature or environment. In addition to the exploration of language functions in environmental communication, in a new section of the third chapter, the author approaches relevant aspects of visual rhetoric showing how the choice of images appearing in various visual media affects our awareness and appreciation of the environment.

The second part of the book (Chapter 4 and 5) contains the presentation of relevant aspects related to citizen voices and public forums. The chapter about public participation in environmental decisions introduces the readers to specific legal rights and forums that make possible for them to influence this kind of decisions, while the chapter about managing environmental conflicts focuses on collaboration as an alternative approach to solving such conflicts. The recurring criticism that is related to consensus‐seeking approaches is also presented.

In the third part of this edition (Chapter 6 and 7) dedicated to media and the environment, the former chapter on media and the environment online has been augmented in two chapters: a chapter related to news media and environmental journalism, and another chapter which introduces aspects of social media and the environment online. In addition to describing the growth and characteristics of traditional news media, the first chapter of this part presents the case study of reporting on climate change, and theories of media effects focused on agenda‐setting, narrative framing and cultivation analysis. The following chapter identifies and explains the affordances and challenges of social media, online platforms and Web 2.0 applications in the context of environmental advocacy, showing how these are changing environmental communication.

The fourth part of the book (Chapter 8, 9 and 10) presents the topic of environmental movements and campaigns by discussing key aspects and case studies of environmental advocacy, environmental justice, green marketing and corporate advocacy campaigns. The last part of the book (Chapter 11 and 12) is dedicated to science and risk communication. At the core of the chapter dedicated to science communication are “several provocative questions about the discourse of science in public controversies over environmental policy”, and the presentation of a series of new initiatives meant “to improve communication about the science and impacts of climate change” (p. 341). The final chapter of the book elaborates on the practice of risk communication of environmental dangers and explains the ways in which news media influence our perceptions of risk.

If we place this book in the context of other publications on similar topics, we can easily see that its true uniqueness resides not only in the wide range of issues that are rigorously discussed. Throughout the whole book, the author demonstrates that his hope is not only to identify and clarify fundamental issues of contemporary environmental communication, but also to inspire the readers to work with others in their campus or community for creating “a socially just and ecologically sustainable society” (p. 275). The author confesses from the very beginning of the book: “I believe that you, I, and everyone in a democratic society have pivotal roles in speaking about these larger environmental issues” (p. 4). Consequently, the book aims to inspire and involve the readers constantly by means of recurrent additional sections inserted in each chapter. For example, in the Discussion Questions, the readers are asked directly: “What uses have you made of social media to initiate communication about an environmental concern?” (p. 203). Furthermore, when exposing the readers to a multiplicity of perspectives which is highlighted by the inclusion in each chapter of the recurrent section labelled “Another Viewpoint”, the author addresses the readers once again by asking them explicitly or implicitly to assess the validity of the various perspectives to be found in the public sphere today. A series of chapters have also an “Act Locally!” section, which provides inspiration for practical ways in which principles of environmental communication can be applied. The book departs from suggesting only further readings and introduces a recurrent section, “Suggested Resources”, in which recommendations regarding relevant documentary files, movies and websites are provided. In addition, this edition of the book comprises also a comprehensive glossary of key terms that are defined in a clear and concise manner.

In conclusion, I consider that this updated edition of Environmental Communication and the Public Sphere provides a significant range of all‐embracing sources of information and inspiration for all readers interested in environmental communication. I find the book remarkably useful as an introduction to this field of communication. However, it is more than that. The author's extensive research and teaching focused on environmental issues, his experience as President of the largest US environmental group, Sierra Club, as advisor of various environmental organizations, and as active participator in many environmental initiatives, make this book a truly unique and well‐documented contribution to environmental communication. By presenting contemporary areas of communication practices about the environment in a comprehensible way, this book succeeds in being an essential introduction to the development of this field, while simultaneously encouraging all its readers to apply their knowledge and join the environmental debates.