"When I say the word environmental, what is the first thing that comes to mind?" (Ross, p. 1). So begins Ross' edited collection, Topic-Driven Environmental Rhetoric, which examines how language and discourse shape environmental discourse. Ross asks how something as vast and complex as the environment is given form and meaning through a myriad of rhetorical venues, from accident reports to news articles on climate change, to public debates on water rights. One primary way is through the use of topics, or topos, in classical rhetoric. Topoi, Ross notes, "are used as starting places for investigation, and serve as material for enthymematic arguments" (p. 7), which borrows from Katz (1992). Simply put, topoi can be understood as "shared places" where discourse can take root (p. 7). These topics, Ross explains, help to fill a gap in the scholarship between rhetorical study and the environment. While there is a rich history of rhetoricians working through "political, ethical, social, and scientific communication" it wasn't until Killingsworth and Palmer (1992) introduced their concept of "ecospeak" that our field began to closely examine the relationship between language and the environment (p. 3). The environment, as topic, surrounds us, both physically and rhetorically, from extreme weather events, gas prices, air quality, to the food on our plates. And yet, Ross argues, in fields like rhetoric and communication, it has received far less attention than it is due, often framed as neutral, objective, or left as territory for the sciences. To explore the diverse and complex rhetoric surrounding environmental issues, Ross and a collection of ten other authors present individual chapters that seek to investigate the "ways in which rhetoric may be used in shaping environmental communication and the public understanding of science" (p. 1). The first selection of chapters, part 1, examines how "rhetorical structures situate environmental discourse" through frames and topics (p. 13). The second selection, part II, focuses on the impact of place and how it relates to the audience. The third selection, part III, moves directly into perceptions of risk and the fourth and final selection, part IV, considers sustainability as a topic within environmental rhetoric.
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