The Environment: A Sociological Introduction

Acknowledgements vii

Preface ix

1 Natural Environments 1

Defining Nature and Environment 1

Humans in Natural Environments 7

Natural and Artificial Environments 14

Conclusion 16

2 Knowing the Environment 18

Involvement and Detachment 18

The Scientific Revolution 22

Social Constructions of Nature 26

Critical Realism 32

Conclusion 36

3 Experiencing the Environment 38

An Environment of the Senses 38

Experiencing Environments 41

Ecological Identifications 44

Ecological Citizenship 52

4 Transforming the Environment 55

Social Development and the Environment 55

Industrialization 59

Urbanization 64

The Treadmill of Production and Consumption 67

5 Polluting the Environment 72

Types of Pollution 72

Awareness and Significance of Pollution 74

Sensitivity to Risks 80

Conclusion 88

6 Defending the Environment 91

Changing Attitudes 91

The Modern Origins of Nature Conservation 95

The Development of Environmentalism 99

Conclusion 107

7 Politicizing the Environment 109

A Politics of Nature 109

Ecologism: A New Political Ideology 113

The Emergence of Green Parties 116

Conclusion 124

8 Sustaining the Environment 126

The Idea of Sustainable Development 126

A Brief History of Sustainable Development 130

Sustainable Development in Practice 135

Can Societies Become Sustainable? 139

Conclusion 142

9 A Global Environment 144

What is Globalization? 144

The Biosphere as Environment 148

Global Problems, Global Solutions? 150

Conclusion 161

Glossary 164

References and Further Reading 170

Index 178