Controversies in Environmental Sociology

COVER......Page 1
HALF-TITLE......Page 3
TITLE......Page 5
COPYRIGHT......Page 6
CONTENTS......Page 7
FIGURES......Page 9
AUTHOR NOTES......Page 10
ABBREVIATIONS......Page 12
INTRODUCTION......Page 13
ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY......Page 14
What is the problem?......Page 15
What are the social dynamics that allow the problem to persist?......Page 16
ABOUT THE BOOK......Page 17
CONCLUSION - THE BEGINNING......Page 18
Further Reading......Page 19
CHAPTER ONE OLD TRADITIONS AND NEW AGES: RELIGIONS AND ENVIRONMENTS......Page 20
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 21
An environmental crisis?......Page 23
The role of Christianity......Page 24
Indigenous responses to environmental problems......Page 27
Buddhism and Islam......Page 29
Religion, the environment, and ethics......Page 31
Discussion Questions......Page 33
References......Page 34
CHAPTER TWO SOCIAL NATURE......Page 38
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 39
What is ‘the environment’? Constructivism and materialism......Page 41
What causes ‘environmental problems’? Capitalism and the production of nature......Page 43
How do we know that ‘environmental problems’ exist? The sociology of scientific knowledge......Page 45
What do we do about ‘environmental problems’? Deliberation and democracy......Page 48
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 50
Discussion Questions......Page 51
Glossary of Terms......Page 52
References......Page 53
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 55
Eco-feminist critique of Western culture and the historical development of human apartness......Page 56
Varieties of eco-feminism......Page 58
The essentialism debate within feminism and eco-feminism......Page 60
How should women now relate to nature?......Page 61
Ecological Animalism versus Ontological Veganism......Page 63
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 68
Glossary of Terms......Page 70
References......Page 71
CHAPTER FOUR ANIMALS, ‘NATURE’ AND HUMAN INTERESTS......Page 73
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 74
KEY DEBATES......Page 76
Research animals: animal experimentation versus vivisection......Page 77
The case against animal experimentation......Page 78
Food animals: intensive farming versus factory farming; meat versus mercy......Page 79
Trophy animals: recreational hunting or bloodsport?......Page 80
Display animals: zoo animals as captive animals......Page 81
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 83
Discussion Questions......Page 85
Glossary of terms......Page 86
References......Page 87
Emergence of the risk society......Page 89
The role of expertise......Page 91
Realist versus constructed notions of risk......Page 92
Risk society versus socially constructed risks......Page 94
Sub-politics versus power and domination......Page 95
Risk as ordering: a post-structuralist approach......Page 97
Discussion Questions......Page 100
Glossary of Terms......Page 101
References......Page 102
CHAPTER SIX WHEN THE POPULATION CLOCK STOPS TICKING......Page 104
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 106
KEY DEBATES......Page 110
Population growth is ‘bad’ for the environment......Page 111
Population growth is ‘good’ for the environment......Page 113
Population growth is ‘neutral’ to the environment......Page 115
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 118
Discussion Questions......Page 120
References......Page 121
CHAPTER SEVEN INEQUALITY, SOCIAL DIFFERENCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES......Page 125
History......Page 126
Environmental management: the ‘standard’ view......Page 128
Ecological modernisation......Page 129
Environmental justice......Page 130
Defining environmental justice......Page 131
Particularism versus universalism......Page 133
Local versus global......Page 135
Prevention versus cure......Page 137
The environmental–social nexus......Page 138
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 139
Discussion Questions......Page 140
References......Page 141
CHAPTER EIGHT SUSTAINABLE TECHNOLOGY: BEYOND FIX AND FIXATION......Page 144
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 146
Instrumentalism......Page 147
Beyond instrumentalism......Page 149
Determinism......Page 151
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 153
Discussion Questions......Page 157
References......Page 158
CHAPTER NINE THINK GLOBAL, ACT LOCAL......Page 162
Marine environments......Page 163
Scale and levels of governance......Page 164
Sustaining capitalism?......Page 166
Ecological modernisation......Page 167
What’s local, what’s global?......Page 168
‘Show me the money’......Page 171
Discussion Questions......Page 174
References......Page 175
CHAPTER TEN CITIZENSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY......Page 180
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 182
Why citizenship is changing......Page 183
Are rights still relevant?......Page 184
Global citizenship and civil society?......Page 187
How should we live?: citizenship and sustainability......Page 188
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 191
Discussion Questions......Page 192
Glossary of Terms......Page 193
References......Page 194
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 197
What is the environmental movement?......Page 199
Support for environmental groups......Page 201
Movement leadership......Page 202
Key environmental issues......Page 203
The social and political bases of the Australian environment movement......Page 205
Bifurcation of environmental groups......Page 206
Routinisation of environmental concerns and its consequences......Page 209
International terrorism and the environment movement......Page 210
Discussion Questions......Page 211
Glossary of Terms......Page 212
References......Page 213
CHAPTER TWELVE MOULDING AND MANIPULATING THE NEWS......Page 216
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 217
Journalistic objectivity......Page 220
News sources......Page 221
Front groups and think-tanks......Page 223
Public Relations......Page 225
News style......Page 227
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 229
References......Page 230
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 233
Explaining land degradation......Page 237
Sustaining productivist agriculture......Page 239
Examining policy solutions......Page 240
The alternatives: organic production systems......Page 242
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 243
Discussion Questions......Page 245
References......Page 246
CHAPTER FOURTEEN PATHOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENTS......Page 250
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 251
Global climate change and human health......Page 252
The (re)emergence of infectious disease......Page 255
Hospitals......Page 257
Homes......Page 259
Workplaces......Page 260
Psychosocial responses to perceived environmental health threats: the generation of fear and panic......Page 261
Discussion Questions......Page 264
Glossary of Terms......Page 265
References......Page 266
CHAPTER FIFTEEN ASSESSING THE SOCIAL CONSEQUENCES OF PLANNED INTERVENTIONS......Page 269
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 270
The definition of ‘the environment’ debate......Page 275
The definition of ‘social impact assessment’ debate......Page 276
The name debate......Page 277
The what is ‘social’ debate......Page 279
The policy-level debate......Page 281
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 282
Glossary of Terms......Page 283
References......Page 284
CHAPTER SIXTEEN CRIMINOLOGY, SOCIAL REGULATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL HARM......Page 287
BACKGROUND TO THE ISSUES......Page 288
KEY DEBATES......Page 289
Defining environmental harm......Page 290
Determining environmental victims......Page 292
Responding to environmental harm......Page 295
Self-regulation and environmental management......Page 296
FUTURE DIRECTIONS......Page 299
Glossary of Terms......Page 300
References......Page 301
INDEX......Page 305