John S. Dryzek, David Downes, Christian Hunold, David Schlosberg, and Hans‐Kristian Hernes
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199249022
- eISBN:
- 9780191599095
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199249024.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Ecological modernization now suggests that environmental values can be attached to the state's core economic imperative, while Ulrich Beck's risk society thesis suggests an environmental attachment ...
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Ecological modernization now suggests that environmental values can be attached to the state's core economic imperative, while Ulrich Beck's risk society thesis suggests an environmental attachment to the state's core legitimation imperative. These developments could add up to a conservation imperative of the state—the green state—though no state is yet close to this situation. Norway has entrenched ecological modernization in a moderate weak form. Germany is closest to a strong form of ecological modernization that, in combination with risk‐induced legitimation crisis, points the way to a more reflexive and democratic political economy. The US has the sort of movement that could facilitate such a transformation—but its state has moved in exactly the opposite direction, casting economic and environmental values in old‐fashioned conflictual terms. Even the UK at long last appears to be capable of taking on board some of the key precepts of ecological modernization and democratization.Less
Ecological modernization now suggests that environmental values can be attached to the state's core economic imperative, while Ulrich Beck's risk society thesis suggests an environmental attachment to the state's core legitimation imperative. These developments could add up to a conservation imperative of the state—the green state—though no state is yet close to this situation. Norway has entrenched ecological modernization in a moderate weak form. Germany is closest to a strong form of ecological modernization that, in combination with risk‐induced legitimation crisis, points the way to a more reflexive and democratic political economy. The US has the sort of movement that could facilitate such a transformation—but its state has moved in exactly the opposite direction, casting economic and environmental values in old‐fashioned conflictual terms. Even the UK at long last appears to be capable of taking on board some of the key precepts of ecological modernization and democratization.
Maarten A. Hajer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293330
- eISBN:
- 9780191599408
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829333X.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Discusses the character of the modern environmental conflict. As the existence of environmental degradation is now commonly accepted, the conflict has become ‘discursive’: it is not about a ...
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Discusses the character of the modern environmental conflict. As the existence of environmental degradation is now commonly accepted, the conflict has become ‘discursive’: it is not about a predefined unequivocal problem with competing actors pro and con, but is rather a continuous struggle over the definition and meaning of the environmental problem itself.Less
Discusses the character of the modern environmental conflict. As the existence of environmental degradation is now commonly accepted, the conflict has become ‘discursive’: it is not about a predefined unequivocal problem with competing actors pro and con, but is rather a continuous struggle over the definition and meaning of the environmental problem itself.
Maarten A. Hajer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293330
- eISBN:
- 9780191599408
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829333X.003.0006
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
One of the most comprehensive discussions of the Dutch environmental ‘policy planning’ approach. Analyses how the acid rain issue became a key problem that persuaded many that a new policy strategy ...
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One of the most comprehensive discussions of the Dutch environmental ‘policy planning’ approach. Analyses how the acid rain issue became a key problem that persuaded many that a new policy strategy was required. Yet, where the Dutch debate quickly showed a conversion to the new eco‐modernist language, here we can see how the institutional practices accommodated many of the more radical suggestions of ecological modernization.Less
One of the most comprehensive discussions of the Dutch environmental ‘policy planning’ approach. Analyses how the acid rain issue became a key problem that persuaded many that a new policy strategy was required. Yet, where the Dutch debate quickly showed a conversion to the new eco‐modernist language, here we can see how the institutional practices accommodated many of the more radical suggestions of ecological modernization.
Maarten A. Hajer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293330
- eISBN:
- 9780191599408
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829333X.003.0004
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Contextualizes the contemporary environmental conflict in the tradition of thinking about man and nature relationships. Discusses the origins of environmentalism and gives a detailed interpretation ...
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Contextualizes the contemporary environmental conflict in the tradition of thinking about man and nature relationships. Discusses the origins of environmentalism and gives a detailed interpretation of the recent history from Blueprint for Survival to the new discourse of ecological modernization of the 1980s and 1990s. Explains how this new discourse could emerge.Less
Contextualizes the contemporary environmental conflict in the tradition of thinking about man and nature relationships. Discusses the origins of environmentalism and gives a detailed interpretation of the recent history from Blueprint for Survival to the new discourse of ecological modernization of the 1980s and 1990s. Explains how this new discourse could emerge.
Maarten A. Hajer
- Published in print:
- 1997
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198293330
- eISBN:
- 9780191599408
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/019829333X.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
The book identifies the emergence and increasing political importance of ‘ecological modernization’ as a new language in environmental politics. In this conceptual language, environmental management ...
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The book identifies the emergence and increasing political importance of ‘ecological modernization’ as a new language in environmental politics. In this conceptual language, environmental management appears as a ‘positive sum game’. Combining social theory with detailed empirical analysis, the book illustrates the social and political dynamics of ecological modernization through a study of the acid rain controversies in Great Britain and the Netherlands. The book concludes with a reflection on the institutional challenge of environmental politics in the years to come. The book is not only seen as a ‘modern classic’ in the literature on environmental politics but is also renowned for its application of discourse analysis to the study of the policy process.Less
The book identifies the emergence and increasing political importance of ‘ecological modernization’ as a new language in environmental politics. In this conceptual language, environmental management appears as a ‘positive sum game’. Combining social theory with detailed empirical analysis, the book illustrates the social and political dynamics of ecological modernization through a study of the acid rain controversies in Great Britain and the Netherlands. The book concludes with a reflection on the institutional challenge of environmental politics in the years to come. The book is not only seen as a ‘modern classic’ in the literature on environmental politics but is also renowned for its application of discourse analysis to the study of the policy process.
William M. Lafferty and James Meadowcroft
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199242016
- eISBN:
- 9780191599736
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199242011.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Draws general conclusions from the study of the ten governmental reactions to sustainable development. It explores explanations for the different patterns of engagement displayed by the governments. ...
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Draws general conclusions from the study of the ten governmental reactions to sustainable development. It explores explanations for the different patterns of engagement displayed by the governments. Considering the governments as a group, it also provides a preliminary assessment of the quality of the implementation effort thus far. The chapter goes on to offer a more general interpretation of the overall evolution of environmental policy in the industrialized countries over the past three decades, and relates this to contemporary scholarly concern with the concept of ‘ecological modernization’. Finally, the discussion considers the potential ‘staying power’ of the idea of sustainable development, and reflects on the long‐term viability of the sustainable development agenda.Less
Draws general conclusions from the study of the ten governmental reactions to sustainable development. It explores explanations for the different patterns of engagement displayed by the governments. Considering the governments as a group, it also provides a preliminary assessment of the quality of the implementation effort thus far. The chapter goes on to offer a more general interpretation of the overall evolution of environmental policy in the industrialized countries over the past three decades, and relates this to contemporary scholarly concern with the concept of ‘ecological modernization’. Finally, the discussion considers the potential ‘staying power’ of the idea of sustainable development, and reflects on the long‐term viability of the sustainable development agenda.
John S. Dryzek, David Downes, Christian Hunold, David Schlosberg, and Hans-Kristian Hernes
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780199249022
- eISBN:
- 9780191599095
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199249024.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
Social movements take shape in relation to the kind of state they face, while, over time, states are transformed by the movements they both incorporate and resist. Social movements are central to ...
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Social movements take shape in relation to the kind of state they face, while, over time, states are transformed by the movements they both incorporate and resist. Social movements are central to democracy and democratization. This book examines the interaction between states and environmentalism, emblematic of contemporary social movements. The analysis covers the entire sweep of the modern environmental era that begins in the 1970s, emphasizing the comparative history of four countries: the US, UK, Germany, and Norway, each of which captures a particular kind of interest representation. Interest groups, parties, mass mobilizations, protest businesses, and oppositional public spheres vary in their weight and significance across the four countries. The book explains why the US was an environmental pioneer around 1970, why it was then eclipsed by Norway, why Germany now shows the way, and why the UK has been a laggard throughout. Ecological modernization and the growing salience of environmental risks mean that environmental conservation can now emerge as a basic priority of government, growing out of entrenched economic and legitimation imperatives. The end in view is a green state, on a par with earlier transformations that produced first the liberal capitalist state and then the welfare state. Any such transformation can be envisaged only to the extent environmentalism maintains its focus as a critical social movement that confronts as well as engages the state.Less
Social movements take shape in relation to the kind of state they face, while, over time, states are transformed by the movements they both incorporate and resist. Social movements are central to democracy and democratization. This book examines the interaction between states and environmentalism, emblematic of contemporary social movements. The analysis covers the entire sweep of the modern environmental era that begins in the 1970s, emphasizing the comparative history of four countries: the US, UK, Germany, and Norway, each of which captures a particular kind of interest representation. Interest groups, parties, mass mobilizations, protest businesses, and oppositional public spheres vary in their weight and significance across the four countries. The book explains why the US was an environmental pioneer around 1970, why it was then eclipsed by Norway, why Germany now shows the way, and why the UK has been a laggard throughout. Ecological modernization and the growing salience of environmental risks mean that environmental conservation can now emerge as a basic priority of government, growing out of entrenched economic and legitimation imperatives. The end in view is a green state, on a par with earlier transformations that produced first the liberal capitalist state and then the welfare state. Any such transformation can be envisaged only to the extent environmentalism maintains its focus as a critical social movement that confronts as well as engages the state.
Benjamin J. Richardson
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195333459
- eISBN:
- 9780199868827
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333459.003.0005
- Subject:
- Law, Company and Commercial Law
This chapter surveys and analyzes the various laws and public policies adopted by governments in various countries to promote SRI. It begins by situating the emerging SRI regulation within the ...
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This chapter surveys and analyzes the various laws and public policies adopted by governments in various countries to promote SRI. It begins by situating the emerging SRI regulation within the evolving traditions of environmental regulation and policy debates about sustainable development. The principal legal measures examined are informational policy instruments requiring disclosure of SRI policies, proxy voting and other activities; economic instruments such as taxation incentives for responsible investment; environmental liability of lenders and investors; and investment mandates or restrictions. It finds that the most extensive SRI-directed policy reforms are being adopted in Western Europe, especially for the pension fund sector. Most SRI regulation, however, has involved light-touch controls that leave significant discretion to financiers. The implementation of these measures has tended to be perfunctory and has had limited impact in changing the behaviour of financial markets.Less
This chapter surveys and analyzes the various laws and public policies adopted by governments in various countries to promote SRI. It begins by situating the emerging SRI regulation within the evolving traditions of environmental regulation and policy debates about sustainable development. The principal legal measures examined are informational policy instruments requiring disclosure of SRI policies, proxy voting and other activities; economic instruments such as taxation incentives for responsible investment; environmental liability of lenders and investors; and investment mandates or restrictions. It finds that the most extensive SRI-directed policy reforms are being adopted in Western Europe, especially for the pension fund sector. Most SRI regulation, however, has involved light-touch controls that leave significant discretion to financiers. The implementation of these measures has tended to be perfunctory and has had limited impact in changing the behaviour of financial markets.
Geoffrey Pridham and José Magone
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780199202812
- eISBN:
- 9780191708008
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199202812.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union, Democratization
In Southern Europe the environment as a policy sector has evolved along four dimensions, namely, regime change, economic development and social change, cultural patterns and public awareness, and ...
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In Southern Europe the environment as a policy sector has evolved along four dimensions, namely, regime change, economic development and social change, cultural patterns and public awareness, and international pressures. Compared to Northern European countries, the four countries of Southern Europe have made environmental policy a priority only very recently. Across the four countries, in the long run the priority on economic growth has brought about environmental damage. Democratization has favored environmentalism, through constitutional recognition of environmental issues, new policy structures, and the emergence of environmentalist groups, but environmental concerns have not flourished to a large extent. However, Italy is more advanced than the rest of South European countries in growth of environmental awareness. The chapter analyzes four themes: the responsiveness of the democratic regimes to environmental problems, policy priorities, and the handling of environmental issues; the contribution of public concern regarding the environment to the legitimacy of new regimes; and the relationship between environmental policy and international factors.Less
In Southern Europe the environment as a policy sector has evolved along four dimensions, namely, regime change, economic development and social change, cultural patterns and public awareness, and international pressures. Compared to Northern European countries, the four countries of Southern Europe have made environmental policy a priority only very recently. Across the four countries, in the long run the priority on economic growth has brought about environmental damage. Democratization has favored environmentalism, through constitutional recognition of environmental issues, new policy structures, and the emergence of environmentalist groups, but environmental concerns have not flourished to a large extent. However, Italy is more advanced than the rest of South European countries in growth of environmental awareness. The chapter analyzes four themes: the responsiveness of the democratic regimes to environmental problems, policy priorities, and the handling of environmental issues; the contribution of public concern regarding the environment to the legitimacy of new regimes; and the relationship between environmental policy and international factors.
Daniel J. Fiorino
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- May 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262036580
- eISBN:
- 9780262341585
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262036580.003.0012
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
The real and perceived conflicts among economic growth and ecological protection define one of the central tensions in environmental policy. The premise of the concept of a green economy is that it ...
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The real and perceived conflicts among economic growth and ecological protection define one of the central tensions in environmental policy. The premise of the concept of a green economy is that it is possible at some level to transform this assumed, traditional zero-sum into a positive relationship. Although its intellectual origins may be traced to the fields of ecological economics, business greening, and ecological modernization, the green economy concept gained particular visibility in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis. This chapter argues that the green economy concept may be influential both in policy framing and as a framework for guiding and carrying out economic and political change. Three modifications in treatments of the concept would make it more acceptable and relevant for future policy debates: rethinking the purpose of growth as well as how it is achieved; shedding more light on economic inequality and its ecological consequences; and emphasizing the intrinsic as well as the utilitarian value of ecological assets and services.Less
The real and perceived conflicts among economic growth and ecological protection define one of the central tensions in environmental policy. The premise of the concept of a green economy is that it is possible at some level to transform this assumed, traditional zero-sum into a positive relationship. Although its intellectual origins may be traced to the fields of ecological economics, business greening, and ecological modernization, the green economy concept gained particular visibility in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis. This chapter argues that the green economy concept may be influential both in policy framing and as a framework for guiding and carrying out economic and political change. Three modifications in treatments of the concept would make it more acceptable and relevant for future policy debates: rethinking the purpose of growth as well as how it is achieved; shedding more light on economic inequality and its ecological consequences; and emphasizing the intrinsic as well as the utilitarian value of ecological assets and services.
Philip Brey
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780262035668
- eISBN:
- 9780262337991
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262035668.003.0012
- Subject:
- Philosophy, General
Philip Brey focuses on the role technologies play in the relationship between sustainable development and consumerism in light of ecological modernization, the development practice that aims at ...
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Philip Brey focuses on the role technologies play in the relationship between sustainable development and consumerism in light of ecological modernization, the development practice that aims at greening production and global economy in ways that leave existing economic and political institutions intact. He agrees with critics who claim that sustainable development is incompatible with modernization’s ideal of unlimited growth. A more fundamental reform of development must also transform patterns of consumption and challenge the values and beliefs that underlie consumerism and materialism. The development of sustainable consumer products should promote sustainable behaviors and lifestyles, as well as reduce or eliminate consumer products that are unsustainable. In addition to these ecologically designed green products are persuasive technologies designed to change the attitudes or behaviors of users. But Brey worries that the redesign of technologies will be not sufficient to engender sustainable systems of consumption. Technological reform will certainly be of great help in the move towards sustainable patterns of consumption but it should be seen as part of a comprehensive strategy that also includes social and economic incentives and public debates about values, lifestyles, and the very future of the planet.Less
Philip Brey focuses on the role technologies play in the relationship between sustainable development and consumerism in light of ecological modernization, the development practice that aims at greening production and global economy in ways that leave existing economic and political institutions intact. He agrees with critics who claim that sustainable development is incompatible with modernization’s ideal of unlimited growth. A more fundamental reform of development must also transform patterns of consumption and challenge the values and beliefs that underlie consumerism and materialism. The development of sustainable consumer products should promote sustainable behaviors and lifestyles, as well as reduce or eliminate consumer products that are unsustainable. In addition to these ecologically designed green products are persuasive technologies designed to change the attitudes or behaviors of users. But Brey worries that the redesign of technologies will be not sufficient to engender sustainable systems of consumption. Technological reform will certainly be of great help in the move towards sustainable patterns of consumption but it should be seen as part of a comprehensive strategy that also includes social and economic incentives and public debates about values, lifestyles, and the very future of the planet.
Caitríona Carter
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719091858
- eISBN:
- 9781781708415
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719091858.003.0007
- Subject:
- Political Science, European Union
In this chapter, Caitríona Carter asks what ‘awkward knowledge’ about the governing of Europe is unacknowledged in conventional accounts of the EU’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS)? To answer ...
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In this chapter, Caitríona Carter asks what ‘awkward knowledge’ about the governing of Europe is unacknowledged in conventional accounts of the EU’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS)? To answer this question, her starting point is to argue that, like Europe itself, sustainable development is not a thing. ‘Sustainable Europe’ only exists to the extent that ‘Europeans’ and others act in and on it, and are shaped through it. Through presenting empirical material on how actors have given social meaning to sustainability in European fish farming, she shows the multiple ways in which sustainability has been done and carried out. In particular, she unpacks varied actor interpretations of the meta-narrative of ‘ecological modernisation’ - which she does not treat as a single practice. She shows how, for this industry as least and contrary to conventional accounts, European sustainable development is omnipresent, not absent; is co-produced and unfinished, not natural and failed; is the result of action, not non-action; its value choices de-politicised, not ‘a-political’ and ‘technical’. The analysis provides a basis for mounting a value-driven critique of European SDS politics, rather than simply blaming ‘the EU’ for not acting.Less
In this chapter, Caitríona Carter asks what ‘awkward knowledge’ about the governing of Europe is unacknowledged in conventional accounts of the EU’s Sustainable Development Strategy (SDS)? To answer this question, her starting point is to argue that, like Europe itself, sustainable development is not a thing. ‘Sustainable Europe’ only exists to the extent that ‘Europeans’ and others act in and on it, and are shaped through it. Through presenting empirical material on how actors have given social meaning to sustainability in European fish farming, she shows the multiple ways in which sustainability has been done and carried out. In particular, she unpacks varied actor interpretations of the meta-narrative of ‘ecological modernisation’ - which she does not treat as a single practice. She shows how, for this industry as least and contrary to conventional accounts, European sustainable development is omnipresent, not absent; is co-produced and unfinished, not natural and failed; is the result of action, not non-action; its value choices de-politicised, not ‘a-political’ and ‘technical’. The analysis provides a basis for mounting a value-driven critique of European SDS politics, rather than simply blaming ‘the EU’ for not acting.
Carl Death
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780300215830
- eISBN:
- 9780300224894
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300215830.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, African History
This chapter explains why starting with the concept of the green state is politically and intellectually important. It begins by noting that many theorists from different perspectives have been very ...
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This chapter explains why starting with the concept of the green state is politically and intellectually important. It begins by noting that many theorists from different perspectives have been very critical of state-centrism or reliance on states to solve environmental problems. Ecologists, Marxists, Feminists, Critical Theorists and Neoliberals have all articulated powerful critiques of the state. In response, theorists of ecological modernisation have defended the role or potential of the state, and authors like Robyn Eckersley and John Dryzek have formulated the notion of the green state to describe states which protect or advance environmental or ecological issues. A crucial lacuna in their work is the developing world, however, particularly in Africa. This chapter explains why this occurs, and challenges this omission through examples of variants of green states in Egypt and South Africa. It calls for green state theories which challenge the neo-Weberian assumptions of ecological modernisation.Less
This chapter explains why starting with the concept of the green state is politically and intellectually important. It begins by noting that many theorists from different perspectives have been very critical of state-centrism or reliance on states to solve environmental problems. Ecologists, Marxists, Feminists, Critical Theorists and Neoliberals have all articulated powerful critiques of the state. In response, theorists of ecological modernisation have defended the role or potential of the state, and authors like Robyn Eckersley and John Dryzek have formulated the notion of the green state to describe states which protect or advance environmental or ecological issues. A crucial lacuna in their work is the developing world, however, particularly in Africa. This chapter explains why this occurs, and challenges this omission through examples of variants of green states in Egypt and South Africa. It calls for green state theories which challenge the neo-Weberian assumptions of ecological modernisation.
David G. Havlick
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780226547541
- eISBN:
- 9780226547688
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226547688.003.0006
- Subject:
- Biology, Biodiversity / Conservation Biology
The US Department of Defense and military supporters commonly present military-to-wildlife transitions as examples of the military's commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. While a ...
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The US Department of Defense and military supporters commonly present military-to-wildlife transitions as examples of the military's commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. While a number of military installations do commit to impressive programs to reduce waste or utilize renewable energy, the broader mission of the military remains focused on the ability to apply lethal force globally. This creates a paradox where military bases include ambitious sustainability programs while the larger institution continues to inflict unsustainable damage on people and places at multiple scales. Similarly, military lands include some of the best protected ecosystems but also some of the world's worst cases of contamination. This chapter focuses on these tensions and contradictions of militarized landscapes through the lens of ecological militarization. This concept highlights how military-to-wildlife conversions are not the simple win-win actions that supporters promote, but are also rife with asymmetries, inequalities, and risks.Less
The US Department of Defense and military supporters commonly present military-to-wildlife transitions as examples of the military's commitment to environmental protection and sustainability. While a number of military installations do commit to impressive programs to reduce waste or utilize renewable energy, the broader mission of the military remains focused on the ability to apply lethal force globally. This creates a paradox where military bases include ambitious sustainability programs while the larger institution continues to inflict unsustainable damage on people and places at multiple scales. Similarly, military lands include some of the best protected ecosystems but also some of the world's worst cases of contamination. This chapter focuses on these tensions and contradictions of militarized landscapes through the lens of ecological militarization. This concept highlights how military-to-wildlife conversions are not the simple win-win actions that supporters promote, but are also rife with asymmetries, inequalities, and risks.
Daniel J. Fiorino
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- December 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780190605803
- eISBN:
- 9780190860318
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780190605803.003.0002
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, Environmental Politics
This chapter argues that the green economy concept may be influential both in policy framing and as a framework for guiding and carrying out economic and political change. The premise of green growth ...
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This chapter argues that the green economy concept may be influential both in policy framing and as a framework for guiding and carrying out economic and political change. The premise of green growth is that economic security and prosperity are possible within the limits of local, regional, and global ecosystems, but only if the composition of growth changes through new investments, policies, and technologies. Although its intellectual origins may be traced to the fields of ecological economics, business greening, and ecological modernization, the green growth concept gained visibility in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis. Three modifications in the concept would make it more acceptable and relevant for policy debates: rethinking the purpose of growth as well as how it is achieved; shedding more light on economic inequality and its ecological consequences; and emphasizing the intrinsic as well as the utilitarian value of ecological assets and services.Less
This chapter argues that the green economy concept may be influential both in policy framing and as a framework for guiding and carrying out economic and political change. The premise of green growth is that economic security and prosperity are possible within the limits of local, regional, and global ecosystems, but only if the composition of growth changes through new investments, policies, and technologies. Although its intellectual origins may be traced to the fields of ecological economics, business greening, and ecological modernization, the green growth concept gained visibility in the wake of the 2009 financial crisis. Three modifications in the concept would make it more acceptable and relevant for policy debates: rethinking the purpose of growth as well as how it is achieved; shedding more light on economic inequality and its ecological consequences; and emphasizing the intrinsic as well as the utilitarian value of ecological assets and services.
Steven Yearley
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- August 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780262016506
- eISBN:
- 9780262298278
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262016506.003.0009
- Subject:
- Political Science, Environmental Politics
The chapter examines the contribution of social theory to the understanding of air pollution by analyzing the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)’s research on the ...
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The chapter examines the contribution of social theory to the understanding of air pollution by analyzing the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)’s research on the international politics of air quality along with the achievements of CLRTAP. Various social scientific approaches of social theory, including the debate in science and technology studies (STS) literature on the scope and role of public engagement in environmental issues, ecological modernization, and Beck’s theory of the risk society, are also discussed. The role of CLRTAP in solving air quality problems is not taken up at length in the STS approach, but it helps in examining the politics of public engagement. The chapter emphasizes that the challenge before social scientists is to make the air pollution problem a major environmental hazard and to develop methods for involving citizens in the politics of air quality.Less
The chapter examines the contribution of social theory to the understanding of air pollution by analyzing the Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP)’s research on the international politics of air quality along with the achievements of CLRTAP. Various social scientific approaches of social theory, including the debate in science and technology studies (STS) literature on the scope and role of public engagement in environmental issues, ecological modernization, and Beck’s theory of the risk society, are also discussed. The role of CLRTAP in solving air quality problems is not taken up at length in the STS approach, but it helps in examining the politics of public engagement. The chapter emphasizes that the challenge before social scientists is to make the air pollution problem a major environmental hazard and to develop methods for involving citizens in the politics of air quality.
Patrick D. Murphy
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- September 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252041037
- eISBN:
- 9780252099588
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252041037.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Media Studies
This chapter draws from the interpretive school of environmental policy analysis, especially John S. Dryzek’s The Politics of the Earth: Environmental Discourses (Oxford, 2005), to provide an ...
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This chapter draws from the interpretive school of environmental policy analysis, especially John S. Dryzek’s The Politics of the Earth: Environmental Discourses (Oxford, 2005), to provide an overview of the environmental discourses that have historically held cultural currency around the world. It summarizes the ontological foundations of key and competing environmental discourses: the Limits discourse (Survivalism), the Promethean discourse, Democratic Pragmatism, Ecological Modernization, Green Radicalism (Eco-feminism, Environmental Justice) and Sustainable Development. Of primary interest in this overview is how the emergence of what Dryzek calls the “Promethean discourse,” an environmental discourse tied to abundance, limited government, and innovation, has been conversely related to the “Limits discourse,” which is grounded in the construct of scarcity and the “commons” and “tipping point” metaphors, and how the debate between the two has spawned a range of other, alternative environmental discourses.Less
This chapter draws from the interpretive school of environmental policy analysis, especially John S. Dryzek’s The Politics of the Earth: Environmental Discourses (Oxford, 2005), to provide an overview of the environmental discourses that have historically held cultural currency around the world. It summarizes the ontological foundations of key and competing environmental discourses: the Limits discourse (Survivalism), the Promethean discourse, Democratic Pragmatism, Ecological Modernization, Green Radicalism (Eco-feminism, Environmental Justice) and Sustainable Development. Of primary interest in this overview is how the emergence of what Dryzek calls the “Promethean discourse,” an environmental discourse tied to abundance, limited government, and innovation, has been conversely related to the “Limits discourse,” which is grounded in the construct of scarcity and the “commons” and “tipping point” metaphors, and how the debate between the two has spawned a range of other, alternative environmental discourses.
Tony Fitzpatrick
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9781447300878
- eISBN:
- 9781447311744
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Policy Press
- DOI:
- 10.1332/policypress/9781447300878.003.0003
- Subject:
- Political Science, Public Policy
This chapter argues that natural assets have not been given sufficient attention in a range of literatures dealing with assets, poverty and justice, and social policy. It critiques a principled ...
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This chapter argues that natural assets have not been given sufficient attention in a range of literatures dealing with assets, poverty and justice, and social policy. It critiques a principled justification for ecological modernisation by proposing that intrinsic value should be at the heart of social thinking and reforms. This then inspires the first elements of an ecosocial account via a discussion of de/commodification, alienation and exclusion. This account argues that we lack sufficient control over socioeconomic resources and adequate synergies between socioeconomic and natural resources; it proposes both the socialisation of natural resources but also the ‘re-naturing’ of economic and social relations. The chapter closes by offering a preliminary definition of ecosocial poverty.Less
This chapter argues that natural assets have not been given sufficient attention in a range of literatures dealing with assets, poverty and justice, and social policy. It critiques a principled justification for ecological modernisation by proposing that intrinsic value should be at the heart of social thinking and reforms. This then inspires the first elements of an ecosocial account via a discussion of de/commodification, alienation and exclusion. This account argues that we lack sufficient control over socioeconomic resources and adequate synergies between socioeconomic and natural resources; it proposes both the socialisation of natural resources but also the ‘re-naturing’ of economic and social relations. The chapter closes by offering a preliminary definition of ecosocial poverty.
Eugene A. Rosa, Thomas K. Rudel, Richard York, Andrew K. Jorgenson, and Thomas Dietz
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780199356102
- eISBN:
- 9780199356133
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199356102.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Science, Technology and Environment
The two-centuries-long surge in greenhouse gas emissions that has driven climate change has had its origins in the societal transformations outlined in this chapter. A capitalist-led expansion in the ...
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The two-centuries-long surge in greenhouse gas emissions that has driven climate change has had its origins in the societal transformations outlined in this chapter. A capitalist-led expansion in the global economy, coupled with human population increases, accounts for the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. There are two widely acknowledged sociological explanations for the changes in emissions: (1) a technology-focused ecological modernization perspective that emphasizes increases in energy efficiency and new technology and (2) a capitalist-focused treadmill of production explanation that emphasizes changes in the volume of production. The treadmill perspective explains the patterns of greenhouse gas emissions more adequately than the ecological modernization perspective. Just as these societal transformations have driven the increase in emissions, so policy-driven social, economic, and technological transformations should play an important role in any future reductions in emissions.Less
The two-centuries-long surge in greenhouse gas emissions that has driven climate change has had its origins in the societal transformations outlined in this chapter. A capitalist-led expansion in the global economy, coupled with human population increases, accounts for the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. There are two widely acknowledged sociological explanations for the changes in emissions: (1) a technology-focused ecological modernization perspective that emphasizes increases in energy efficiency and new technology and (2) a capitalist-focused treadmill of production explanation that emphasizes changes in the volume of production. The treadmill perspective explains the patterns of greenhouse gas emissions more adequately than the ecological modernization perspective. Just as these societal transformations have driven the increase in emissions, so policy-driven social, economic, and technological transformations should play an important role in any future reductions in emissions.
Brian K. Obach
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780262029094
- eISBN:
- 9780262328302
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262029094.003.0001
- Subject:
- Environmental Science, Environmental Studies
The major themes addressed in the book are summarized including how political and economic conditions shaped the sustainable agriculture movement and how the movement developed organizationally. ...
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The major themes addressed in the book are summarized including how political and economic conditions shaped the sustainable agriculture movement and how the movement developed organizationally. Structural conditions during the first decades of the movement steered organic proponents towards a market-based reform strategy that relied upon private certification systems. Over time this decentralized grassroots movement developed a more formal organizational structure. This brought strategic and ideological differences to the fore, especially when organic advocates turned towards the state for support. “Spreaders” and “tillers” differed on whether it was better to rapidly expand the organic market with the support of state and corporate actors or if it was more important to safeguard strict standards even if that would limit organic growth. Organic movement strategy is examined through the lens of competing environmental sociology theories.Less
The major themes addressed in the book are summarized including how political and economic conditions shaped the sustainable agriculture movement and how the movement developed organizationally. Structural conditions during the first decades of the movement steered organic proponents towards a market-based reform strategy that relied upon private certification systems. Over time this decentralized grassroots movement developed a more formal organizational structure. This brought strategic and ideological differences to the fore, especially when organic advocates turned towards the state for support. “Spreaders” and “tillers” differed on whether it was better to rapidly expand the organic market with the support of state and corporate actors or if it was more important to safeguard strict standards even if that would limit organic growth. Organic movement strategy is examined through the lens of competing environmental sociology theories.
