In the paper summarized by this presentation we trace how maps aided the
conceptualization and ensuing debate over one of the first inherently
spatial and multiscale environmental issues, acid rain. Through
interviews with early acid rain ecologists and a critical cartographic
analysis of printed maps, we show that mapping was central for
constructing this environmental issue. Rather than static
representations of a scientific reality, acid rain maps were
interconnected and relational processes that operated within political
and economic discourses. Accordingly, we suggest that increased critical
engagement and participation with the process of mapping can
productively aid dialog on many issues, including other current
multiscale environmental issues, such as climate change.