Routledge International Handbook of Social and Environmental Change

Today, the risks associated with global environmental change and the dangers of extreme climatic and geological events remind us of humanity’s dependence on favourable environmental conditions. Our relationships with the landscapes and ecologies that we are a part of, the plants and animals that we share them with, and the natural resources that we extract, lie at the heart of contemporary social and political debates. It is no longer possible to understand key social scientific concerns without at the same time also understanding contemporary patterns of ecosystem change. The Routledge International Handbook of Social and Environmental Change reviews the major ways in which social scientists are conceptualizing more integrated perspectives on society and nature, from the global to local levels. The chapters in this volume, by international experts from a variety of disciplines, explore the challenges, contradictions and consequences of social–ecological change, along with the uncertainties and governance dilemmas they create. The contributions are based around the themes of: Climate change, energy, and adaptation Urban environmental change and governance Risk, uncertainty and social learning (Re)assembling social-ecological systems With case studies from sectors across both developed and developing worlds, the Handbook illustrates the inter-connectedness of ecosystem health, natural resource condition, livelihood security, social justice and development. It will be of interest for students and scholars across the social sciences and natural sciences, as well as to those interested and engaged in environmental policy at all levels. Review "This is a benchmark study, timely and up-to-date, which examines social and environmental change and the connections between them. It explores global changes while focusing on specific cases and the complexities of research at different levels. The Editors are to be congratulated for bringing together such a thoughtful, comprehensive and incisive volume." ―Michael Redclift, Emeritus Professor of International Environmental Policy, King's College, London "This handbook offers a tour through critical questions and arguments being raised by scholars related to environmental, social, and natural interactions at the global, national, and urban levels. It will be a very useful reference for those interested in obtaining an overview of theoretical developments in the study of eco-sociological transformations and international examples of societal and political responses to various environmental risks, uncertainties, and inequalities."―Miranda A. Schreurs, Professor and Director, Environmental Policy Research Centre, Freie Universität Berlin "This systematic collection of contributions offers a highly informative and sophisticated overview of the state of the art for the rapidly expanding literature on the social scientific turn in ecological issues – for beginners as well as for those doing advanced research in these fields."―Ulrich Beck, Professor of Sociology, University of Munich About the Author Stewart Lockie is Professor of Sociology at the Australian National University. David A. Sonnenfeld is Professor of Sociology and Environmental Policy at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF). Dana R. Fisher is Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of Maryland.