Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency: The unCONVENTIONal Rhetoric of Environmental unCERTAINTY

Author:

• David Tschida (St. Cloud State Univ.)

Abstract:

Massachusetts V. Environmental Protection Agency is unique among US Supreme Court opinions. It was the first case to come before the court to deal specifically with the issue of global warming. This paper is a preliminary study of the use of "uncertainty" and "certainty" as rhetorical tropes. Further, this paper explores the possibility that (un)certainty functions as a constitutive rhetoric, especially in this ruling.