A Critical Introduction to Environmental Communication by Malte Rödl

A Critical Introduction to Environmental Communication by Malte Rödl

This new textbook introduces environmental communication as a sociocultural practice and an integral part of governance processes. It promotes change-oriented, critical and reflective environmental communication practice in a way that is both accessible and relevant.

Existing textbooks emphasise instrumental and normative perspectives on environmental communication, advising readers on how to effectively communicate environmental issues to encourage more sustainable practices. This book expands on these perspectives while also introducing other approaches to understanding environmental communication that highlight its constitutive role in social change. It consists of three central themes that:

• Contextualise environmental communication within critical social science research through conceptual lenses such as social practices, governance, and power.
• Discuss different understandings of communication and conflict which are relevant for environmental communication research and practice.
• Explore what it means to do environmental communication in a complex world, from facilitating dialogue processes to navigating digital platforms and planning communication campaigns and activism.

Rich in pedagogical features, A Critical Introduction to Environmental Communication uses case study examples, reflective exercises and further reading recommendations to embed learning. Overall, it is an essential resource for students, as well as communication practitioners who are engaged with environmental governance.

“… this book is a present to us and a blessing for us as students of environmental communicationEach and every concept is explained with concrete details, easy language and examples. Basically, I love that book ."

- Anam Basit, Student, Environmental Communication, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

“This broad-ranging study from a Nordic perspective provides a fresh and comprehensive frame of reference for the reader, wherever they come from. With wide-ranging integrated chapters, coupled with easy-to-read summaries and freshly minted examples from around the world, the volume provides engaging perspectives and different ways to make sense of the breadth and depth of environmental communications, while promoting critical and reflective practice. From years of teaching this area, I can confidently recommend this wide-ranging study for students and academics alike. This high level of scholarship is most important as we strive to address the complex interconnecting challenges we face in securing our future on this planet.”

- Pat Brereton, Emeritus Professor, School of Communications, Dublin City University

“This timely and critical introduction of core concepts of environmental communications presents us with a much-needed focus on key issues relevant to the challenges most ENGOs face in a time of increased public polarization and political pressure. For practitioners in the field this book does not only offer a helpful review of theories about communication and society, but also guides the reader through the workings of environmental advocacy and activism with a variation of engaging use cases.”

- Sönke Lorenzen, Senior Research Manager, Greenpeace International

“(Test reading parts of this book) was a pleasure – it pulled me in immediately. The writing is engaging. The ideas and examples were thought-provoking and the flow kept me captivated. This chapter convinced me to read the entire book – it has such much to offer.”

- Chanda Poudyal, Student, Sustainable Agriculture Specialist, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)

“’A Critical Introduction to Environmental Communication’ is essential reading for understanding the vital role of communication in generating awareness, fostering activism, enhancing policymaking, and improving responsible environmental governance. With case studies ranging from the Indigenous North to big data HQs, from the ‘wild west’ of contemporary social media platforms to local activist campaigns, the chapters of this book outline easy-to-understand theoretical analysis, practical case studies, self-learning tasks and further activities for students and professionals alike to improve their engagement with the complexities of communication as a vital tool for shaping our planetary environmental futures.”

–Pietari Kaapa, Professor in Media and Communications at the Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies, University of Warwick, UK

The authors work at the Division of Environmental Communication at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. They do research on a wide variety of environmental and sustainability issues, approaching environmental communication from a range of social science perspectives. All of them teach in the Master’s programme Environmental Communication and Management that attracts students from all over the world.

Malte Rödl is an Associate Professor in environmental communication, investigating the interactions between people, technology and environmental issues. Malte’s research combines insights from science and technology studies, information studies and sociology to explore the implications of digitisation for societal capacity to negotiate environmental concerns. Malte holds a PhD from the University of Manchester, UK (2019), and lives in Sweden since 2020.

Amelia Mutter is a researcher and teacher in environmental communication. She earned her PhD in Technology and Social Change in 2020 from Linköping University, Sweden, where her research focused on future energy imaginaries. Her research interests concern the role of new technologies, imaginaries and understandings of science and expertise in sustainability transitions, as well as the role of different stakeholders in co-constructing these.

Anke Fischer is Professor of Environmental Communication. After her PhD at the University of Göttingen, Germany (2004), she moved to Scotland, where she did research on meaning-making and conflict related to land use and sustainability issues, combining perspectives from psychology, sociology and governance studies. Between 2010 and 2012, she lived in Tanzania and Ethiopia, focusing her research on questions of wildlife management. Since moving to Sweden in 2019, her work examines the discursive construction of climate policy.

Camilo Calderon is a lecturer and researcher specialising in collaborative governance, and Study Director of the Master’s programme Environmental Communication and Management. He holds a PhD from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (2013). His work on collaboration spans energy transitions, urban renewal, sustainable development and public space design. His current research explores how inclusive decision-making can address challenges linked to climate change, rapid urbanization, polarization and public resistance.

Lars Hallgren is a senior lecturer. With a PhD in environmental communication from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (2003), his research examines communication in conflict and collaboration contexts as well as metadiscourses in professional environmental communication cultures. He has been involved in education in environmental communication since 1995 and has been instrumental in initiating, designing and implementing the Master’s programme in Environmental Communication and Management since its inception in 2007.