Series: a href="http://www.oupcanada.com/tcs/"Themes in Canadian Sociology/aThis uniquely Canadian text examines the relationship between humans and the environment, the social factors that cause environmental problems, and potential solutions to these problems. Exploring what sociologists can contribute to the study of environmental issues, this text also considers thehistorical relationship between humans and the natural world, theoretical perspectives, and such key topics as scarcity, sustainability, globalization, and natural disasters.

Acclaim for the first edition: 'The scope of the volume is vast and, overall, the Handbook amounts to an almost encyclopaedic reference text for scholars of environmental questions across the social sciences, be they in sociology, geography, political science or wherever.' – Neil Ward, Environmental Politics 'Each author writes with a distinctive style, yet the work flows well because the editors selected recognized scholars with outstanding credentials. Academic libraries, especially those serving a strong social science community, will find this work a worthwhile addition. Professors of sociology and environmental studies could use the essays for additional readings and reviews.' – Marjorie H. Jones, American Reference Books 'This International Handbook is an important addition to the growing concern and publication in the field of environmental sociology. Certainly any serious scholar in the field should find this edited reference work of interest. . .' – John J. Hartman, International Social Science Review This thoroughly revised Handbook provides an assessment of the scope and content of environmental sociology, and sets out the intellectual and practical challenges posed by the urgent need for policy and action to address accelerating environmental change. More than a decade has passed since the first edition of the Handbook was published to considerable acclaim, and environmental sociology has since become firmly established as a critical social science discipline. This second edition is a major interdisciplinary reference work comprising more than 25 original essays authored by leading scholars, many of whom are intimately involved in national, regional or global environmental policy processes. It marks some of the changes and continuities in the field of environmental sociology, and highlights today's substantive concerns and theoretical debates. The Handbook is divided into three parts covering concepts and theories, critical issues and international perspectives, each with an introduction outlining the content of the constituent chapters and cross-referencing some of the more significant themes that link them together. Authoritative and comprehensive, this Handbook will prove to be essential reading for academics, researchers and students across the social sciences who are interested in the environment. It will also be enthusiastically received by sustainable development policy-makers and practitioners.

Publisher Description

Despite being a relatively young sub-discipline, European environmental sociology has changed considerably in the last decades towards more interdisciplinary collaborations and problem solving. Current trends such as global environmental modernization and processes of economic, political and socio-cultural globalization, fuelled by developments of transport, environmental flows, scientific uncertainty, and information technologies, have fostered new conceptual approaches that move beyond classical sociological mind-sets toward broader attempts to connect to other disciplines.

These original essays by eminent sociologists probe issues of central importance to North American societies in the twenty-first century. The chapters in part 1 revise theory and methods to comprehend the economic and political institutions that increasingly dominate the lives of individuals and groups, arguing that these giants must be made more democratically accountable. Part 2 explores the social effects that growing globalization, transnationalization, and information technologies are having on politics, economics, and the environment. The final chapters compare how new immigrants from increasingly diversified backgrounds are being absorbed in Canada and the United States, exploring the impact that immigrants are having on preexisting ethnic minorities and on the dominant political culture. While it is a major attempt to refocus the discipline of sociology, the book's clear, nontechnical style and its attention to issues of central concern to all citizens make it also highly accessible to nonspecialists. Contributors are Janet L. Abu-Lughod, Tomas Almaguer, Giovanni Arrighi, Gilles Bourque, Randall Collins, Jules Duchastel, Joe Feagin, Harriet Friedmann, Pierre Hamel, Moon-Kie Jung, Joel Levine, Henri Lustiger-Thaler, Louis Maheu, Joel Perlmann, Saskia Sassen, Gideon Sjoberg, Dorothy Smith, Roger Waldinger, and Barry Wellman.

Mediating Climate Change explores how practices of mediation and visualisation shape how we think about, address and act upon climate change. Through historical and contemporary case studies drawn from science, media, politics and culture, Doyle identifies the representational problems climate change poses for public and political debate. She explores how climate change can be made more meaningful and calls for a more nuanced understanding of human-environmental relations.

New to this Edition: Completely new lessons on "Theories in Environmental Sociology" (Lesson 2), "The Sociology of Environmental Health" (Lesson 11), and "Environmental Social Movements" (Lesson 18), written by new contributors, A brand new lesson on "Climate Change" (Lesson 15), written by a new contributor, A greater focus on issues of gender inequality and Indigenous peoples throughout, Updated data and examples in lessons, An invitation from the authors for students to post photos that represent the book's themes on social media, using hashtags linked to the book, An Instructor's Manual, available to all adopters, contains Discussion Questions, Suggested Media, and Additional Readings for each lesson. Book jacket.