ABSTRACT
Research on the mediated communication of the environment has come far since it first started emerging in the 1960s. The development of environmental communication research as a distinctive strand within media and communication studies generally is hardly surprising when considering the centrality of public media and communication processes to drawing public and political attention to 'environmental problems'. Longitudinal studies of environmental news coverage have provided insights into the complex dynamics and careers of environmental issues, throwing light on what 'drives' environmental coverage and on how different public agendas interact. Traditional broadcast and print media and newer forms of digital communication have been central and instrumental in defining 'the environment' as a concept and domain, and in bringing environmental issues and problems to public and political attention. The chapter also presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book.
