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definition of environment and society: Encyclopedia of Environment and Society Paul Robbins, 2007-08-27 As befits the topic, this beautifully packaged, wonderfully illustrated, interdisciplinary resource has more than 1200 entries written by specialists. A helpful reader′s guide groups topics like agriculture, conservation and ecology, movements and regulations, politics, pollution, and society. A resource guide, chronology, glossary, and list of the UN′s economic indicators complete the set. —Library Journal ...this important work gives a well-focused snapshot of environmentalism in the early 21st Century, and it will remain valuable into the future both for its content and as a yardstick to measure progress toward sustainability and conservation. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates and general readers. —CHOICE Booklist Editors′ Choice 2008 This superb interdisciplinary work should find a place on the shelves of every public and academic library that has the least bit of interest in environment issues—which should mean just about all. —Booklist (Starred Review) Where does the environment leave off and society begin? When expanding production and consumption drives greenhouse gas emissions that warm the planet, which in turn influence the conditions of economic expansion, it is unclear where the climate ends and the economy begins. This fact is not new to our era, however, our social and natural sciences have only recently come to grips with the incredible complexity of the world described by understanding the environment and society as being of a piece. As a result, in the last decade there has been an unprecedented explosion of new concepts, theories, facts, and techniques that follow from such an understanding. The Encyclopedia of Environment and Society brings together multiplying issues, concepts, theories, examples, problems, and policies, with the goal of clearly explicating an emerging way of thinking about people and nature. With more than 1,200 entries written by experts from incredibly diverse fields, this innovative resource is a first step toward diving into the deep pool of emerging knowledge. The five volumes of this Encyclopedia represent more than a catalogue of terms. Rather, they capture the spirit of the moment, a fascinating time when global warming and genetic engineering represent only two of the most obvious examples of socio-environmental issues. Key Features Examines many new ideas about how the world works, what creates the daunting problems of our time, and how such issues might be addressed, whether by regulation, markets, or new ethics Demonstrates how theories of environmental management based on market efficiency may not be easily reconciled with those that focus on population, and both may certainly diverge from those centering on ethics, justice, or labor Offers contributions from experts in their fields of specialty, including geographers, political scientists, chemists, anthropologists, medical practitioners, development experts, and sociologists, among many others Explores the emerging socio-environmental problems that we face in the next century, as well as the shifting and expanding theoretical tools available for tackling these problems Covers regions of North America in greater detail but also provides a comprehensive picture that approaches, as effectively as possible, a cohesive global vision Key Themes Agriculture Animals Biology and Chemistry Climate Conservation and Ecology Countries Geography History Movements and Regulations Organizations People Politics Pollution Society Packed with essential and up-to-date information on the state of the global socio-environment, the Encyclopedia of Environment and Society is a time capsule of its historic moment and a record of where we stand at the start of the 21st century, making it a must-have resource for any library. These inspiring volumes provide an opportunity for more new ways of thinking, behaving, and living in a more-than-human world. |
definition of environment and society: Environment and Society in Ethiopia Girma Kebbede, 2016-10-04 Ethiopia is facing environmental and poverty challenges, and urgently needs effective management of its environmental resources. Much of the Ethiopian landscape has been significantly altered and reshaped by centuries of human activities, and three-quarters of the rural population is living on degraded land. Over the past two decades the country has seen rapid economic and population growth and unparalleled land use change. This book explores the challenges of sustaining the resource base while fuelling the economy and providing for a growing population that is greatly dependent on natural resources for income and livelihoods. Adopting a political ecology perspective, this book comprehensively examines human impacts on the environment in Ethiopia, defining the environment both in terms of the quantity and quality of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. With high levels of economic production and consumption also come unintended side effects: waste discharges, emissions of pollutants, and industrial effluents. These pollutants can degrade the quality of water, air, land, and forests as well as harm the health of people, animals, and other living organisms if untreated or disposed of improperly. This book demonstrates how the relationship between society and environment is inherently and delicately interwoven, providing an account of Ethiopia’s current environment and natural resource base and future considerations for environmentally sustainable development. |
definition of environment and society: U.S. Health in International Perspective National Research Council, Institute of Medicine, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Committee on Population, Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries, 2013-04-12 The United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world, but it is far from the healthiest. Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries. The U.S. health disadvantage cannot be attributed solely to the adverse health status of racial or ethnic minorities or poor people: even highly advantaged Americans are in worse health than their counterparts in other, peer countries. In light of the new and growing evidence about the U.S. health disadvantage, the National Institutes of Health asked the National Research Council (NRC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to convene a panel of experts to study the issue. The Panel on Understanding Cross-National Health Differences Among High-Income Countries examined whether the U.S. health disadvantage exists across the life span, considered potential explanations, and assessed the larger implications of the findings. U.S. Health in International Perspective presents detailed evidence on the issue, explores the possible explanations for the shorter and less healthy lives of Americans than those of people in comparable countries, and recommends actions by both government and nongovernment agencies and organizations to address the U.S. health disadvantage. |
definition of environment and society: Indigenous Resurgence Jaskiran Dhillon, 2022-03-31 From the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s resistance against the Dakota Access pipeline to the Nepalese Newar community’s protest of the Fast Track Road Project, Indigenous peoples around the world are standing up and speaking out against global capitalism to protect the land, water, and air. By reminding us of the fundamental importance of placing Indigenous politics, histories, and ontologies at the center of our social movements, Indigenous Resurgence positions environmental justice within historical, social, political, and economic contexts, exploring the troubling relationship between colonial and environmental violence and reframing climate change and environmental degradation through an anticolonial lens. |
definition of environment and society: OECD Insights Sustainable Development Linking Economy, Society, Environment Strange Tracey, Bayley Anne, 2008-12-02 A succinct examination of the concept of sustainable development: what it means; how it is impacted by globalisation, production and consumption; how it can be measured; and what can be done to promote it. |
definition of environment and society: Environment and Society Dr Stewart Barr, 2012-11-28 Environment and Society explores ways to promote the behavioural shifts necessary for creating a 'sustainable society'. Through a critical approach to the links between sustainability, policy and citizen engagement, the book argues that sustainability policy needs to move towards a positive perspective, utilizing the well-known techniques of segmentation and social marketing. Such 'mainstreaming' of sustainable lifestyles is likely to be the only effective means of engaging the majority of citizens in the environmental debate, given the major influence of the consumer society on individual aspirations and beliefs. Comprised of three substantive elements, Environment and Society explores the context for behaviour change policy, the approaches adopted by politicians and academic researchers, and the application of such approaches using empirical data from two major research projects. The book is richly illustrated using both theoretical and empirical data and provides an excellent companion to all researchers interested in sustainable lifestyles. |
definition of environment and society: Environment and Society Stewart Barr, 2016-04-29 Environment and Society explores ways to promote the behavioural shifts necessary for creating a 'sustainable society'. Through a critical approach to the links between sustainability, policy and citizen engagement, the book argues that sustainability policy needs to move towards a positive perspective, utilizing the well-known techniques of segmentation and social marketing. Such 'mainstreaming' of sustainable lifestyles is likely to be the only effective means of engaging the majority of citizens in the environmental debate, given the major influence of the consumer society on individual aspirations and beliefs. Comprised of three substantive elements, Environment and Society explores the context for behaviour change policy, the approaches adopted by politicians and academic researchers, and the application of such approaches using empirical data from two major research projects. The book is richly illustrated using both theoretical and empirical data and provides an excellent companion to all researchers interested in sustainable lifestyles. |
definition of environment and society: The SAGE Handbook of Environment and Society Jules Pretty, Andy Ball, Ted Benton, Julia Guivant, David R Lee, David Orr, Max Pfeffer, Professor Hugh Ward, 2007-10-30 A monumental and timely contribution to scholarship on society and environments. The handbook makes it easy and compelling for anyone to learn about that scholarship in its full manifestations and as represented by some of the most highly respected researchers and thinkers in the English-speaking world. It is wide-reaching in scope and far-reaching in its implications for public and private action, a definite must for serious researchers and their libraries. - Bonnie J McCay, Rutgers University This is the desert island book for anyone interested in the relationship between society and the environment. The editors have assembled a masterful collection of contributions on every conceivable dimension of environmental thinking in the social sciences and humanities. No library should be without it!′ - Robyn Eckersley, University of Melbourne The SAGE Handbook of Environment and Society focuses on the interactions between people, societies and economies, and the state of nature and the environment. Editorially integrated but written from multi-disciplinary perspectives, it is organised in seven sections: Environmental thought: past and present Valuing the environment Knowledges and knowing Political economy of environmental change Environmental technologies Redesigning natures Institutions and policies for influencing the environment Key themes include: locations where the environment-society relation is most acute: where, for example, there are few natural resources or where industrialization is unregulated; the discussion of these issues at different scales: local, regional, national, and global; the cost of damage to resources; and the relation between principal actors in the environment-society nexus. Aimed at an international audience of academics, research students, researchers, practitioners and policy makers, The SAGE Handbook of Environment and Society presents readers in social science and natural science with a manual of the past, present and future of environment-society links. |
definition of environment and society: Environment and Social Theory John Barry, 2007-01-24 Written in an engaging and accessible manner by one of the leading scholars in his field, Environment and Social Theory, completed revised and updated with two new chapters, is an indispensable guide to the way in which the environment and social theory relate to one another. This popular text outlines the complex interlinking of the environment, nature and social theory from ancient and pre-modern thinking to contemporary social theorizing. John Barry: examines the ways major religions such as Judaeo-Christianity have and continue to conceptualize the environment analyzes the way the non-human environment features in Western thinking from Marx and Darwin, to Freud and Horkheimer explores the relationship between gender and the environment, postmodernism and risk society schools of thought, and the contemporary ideology of orthodox economic thinking in social theorising about the environment. How humans value, use and think about the environment, is an increasingly central and important aspect of recent social theory. It has become clear that the present generation is faced with a series of unique environmental dilemmas, largely unprecedented in human history. With summary points, illustrative examples, glossary and further reading sections this invaluable resource will benefit anyone with an interest in environmentalism, politics, sociology, geography, development studies and environmental and ecological economics. |
definition of environment and society: Environment and Society Paul Robbins, John G. Hintz, Sarah A. Moore, 2022-03-17 A comprehensive yet accessible introduction to the conceptual tools used to explore real-world environmental problems Environment and Society: A Critical Introduction, Third Edition demonstrates how theoretical approaches such as environmental ethics, political economy, and social construction work as conceptual tools to identify and clarify contemporary environmental issues. Assuming no background knowledge in the subject, this reader-friendly textbook uses clear language and engaging examples to first describe nine key conceptual tools, and then apply them to a variety of familiar objects—from bottled water and French fries to trees, wolves, and carbon dioxide. Throughout the text, highly accessible chapters provide insight into the relationship between the environment and present-day society. Divided into two parts, the text begins by explaining major theoretical approaches for interpreting the environment-society relationship and discussing different perspectives about environmental problems. Part II examines a series of objects, each viewed through a sample of the theoretical tools from Part I, helping readers think critically about critical environmental topics such as deforestation, climate change, the global water supply, and hazardous e-waste. This fully revised third edition stresses a wider range of competing ways of thinking about environmental issues and features additional cases studies, up-to-date conceptual understandings, and new chapters in Part I on racializd environments and feminist approaches. Environment and Society: A Critical Introduction, Third Edition: Covers theoretical lenses such as commodities, environmental ethics, and risks and hazards, and applies them to touchstone environment-society objects like wolves, tuna, trees, and carbon dioxide Uses a conversational narrative to explain key historical events, topical issues and policies, and scientific concepts Features substantial revisions and updates, including new chapters on feminism and race, and improved maps and illustrations Includes a wealth of in-book and online resources, including exercises and boxed discussions, chapter summaries, review questions, references, suggested readings, an online test bank, and internet links Provides additional instructor support such as suggested teaching models, full-color PowerPoint slides, and supplementary teaching material Retaining the innovative approach of its predecessors, Environment and Society: A Critical Introduction, Third Edition remains the ideal textbook for courses in environmental issues, environmental science, and nature and society theory. |
definition of environment and society: Environmental Sociology Leslie King, Deborah McCarthy Auriffeille, 2009-03-16 Environmental Sociology, intended for use in Environmental Sociology courses, uses sociological methods and perspectives to analyze key environmental issues. The reader is organized like an introduction to sociology reader, and comprised of readings that are accessible to and interesting for undergraduates. |
definition of environment and society: The Power of the Periphery Peder Anker, 2020-05-28 Examines how Norway has positioned itself as an alternative, environmentally-sound nation in a world filled with tension and instability. |
definition of environment and society: Society and Its Environment Egbert Tellegen, Maarten Wolsink, 1998 First Published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company. |
definition of environment and society: Environment and Society Magnus Boström, Debra J. Davidson, 2018-06-13 This book offers a critical analysis of core concepts that have influenced contemporary conversations about environment-society relations in academic, political, and civil circles. Considering these conceptualizations are currently shaping responses to environmental crises in fundamental ways, critical reflections on concepts such as the Anthropocene, metabolism, risk, resilience, environmental governance, environmental justice and others, are well-warranted. Contributors to this volume, working across a multitude of areas within environmental social science, scrutinize underlying worldviews and assumptions, asking a common set of key questions: What are the different concepts able to explain? How do they take into account society-environment relations? What social, cultural, or geo-political biases and blinders are inherent? What actions or practices do the concepts inspire? The transdisciplinary engagement and reflexivity regarding concepts of environment-society relations represented in these chapters is needed in all spheres of society—in academia, policy and practice—not the least to confront current tendencies of anti-reflexivity and denialism. |
definition of environment and society: Environmental Literacy in Science and Society Roland W. Scholz, Claudia R. Binder, 2011-07-21 A comprehensive review and analysis of environmental literacy within the context of environmental science and sustainable development. Approaching the topic from multiple perspectives, the book explores the development of human understanding of the environment and human-environment interactions in the fields of biology, psychology, sociology, economics and industrial ecology. |
definition of environment and society: Business, Environment, and Society Vesela Veleva, Charles Levenstein, John Wooding, John Forrant, 2016-12-05 This book blends theory and practice to support courses in corporate social responsibility (CSR), business and society, and environmental management and sustainability. Based on her extensive work with companies, the author offers engaging readings and teaching cases that address key challenges for business today - measurement, supply chain management, public policy, and stakeholder pressures. Part I focuses on the macro-level and provides an overview of concepts such as the green economy, eco-industrial parks, corporate social responsibility (corporate citizenship), nanotechnology, and sustainable consumption. Part II provides specific frameworks and tools for sustainability management and measurement at the company level. Part III includes detailed teaching cases of several well-known firms. The main theme is that business is a key player in achieving a more sustainable development, yet its practices are often narrow in focus or shortsighted. The text provokes discussions around issues such as: Is business sustainability possible in a market economy focused on increasing consumption? Should a product or service be called green when it puts at risk the health and safety of workers? What can U.S. policymakers learn from their European counterparts when it comes to protecting human health and the environment? How can we ensure that the benefits of nanotechnology exceed its risks? How can sustainability indicators be used as a tool to advance sustainability by companies and policymakers? The book provides a flexible, up-to-date supplementary teaching tool for undergraduate and graduate students, executive education courses, and certificate programs. Intended Audience: Primarily undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in environmental management, corporate social responsibility (CSR), sustainability, or business and society; as a supplementary text in professional education and certificate programs in environmental management, corporate citizenship, sustainability, and CSR. |
definition of environment and society: Global Environmental Change National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Board on Environmental Change and Society, Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change, 1991-02-01 Global environmental change often seems to be the most carefully examined issue of our time. Yet understanding the human sideâ€human causes of and responses to environmental changeâ€has not yet received sustained attention. Global Environmental Change offers a strategy for combining the efforts of natural and social scientists to better understand how our actions influence global change and how global change influences us. The volume is accessible to the nonscientist and provides a wide range of examples and case studies. It explores how the attitudes and actions of individuals, governments, and organizations intertwine to leave their mark on the health of the planet. The book focuses on establishing a framework for this new field of study, identifying problems that must be overcome if we are to deepen our understanding of the human dimensions of global change, presenting conclusions and recommendations. |
definition of environment and society: Environment, Society and International Relations Gabriela Kütting, 2013-02-01 Written in an accessible and lively style, this ground-breaking text marries a critique of current remedies towards environmental problems to original and viable alternatives. This text adopts an eco-centric rather than a traditional environmental management perspective to focuses on the key issues such as: * The effectiveness of international agreements in solving environmental problems * the role of the structures and constraints within which these agreements operate |
definition of environment and society: Earth Stewardship Ricardo Rozzi, F. Stuart Chapin III, J. Baird Callicott, S.T.A. Pickett, Mary E. Power, Juan J. Armesto, Roy H. May Jr., 2015-03-26 This book advances Earth Stewardship toward a planetary scale, presenting a range of ecological worldviews, practices, and institutions in different parts of the world and to use them as the basis for considering what we could learn from one another, and what we could do together. Today, inter-hemispheric, intercultural, and transdisciplinary collaborations for Earth Stewardship are an imperative. Chapters document pathways that are being forged by socio-ecological research networks, religious alliances, policy actions, environmental citizenship and participation, and new forms of conservation, based on both traditional and contemporary ecological knowledge and values. “The Earth Stewardship Initiative of the Ecological Society of America fosters practices to provide a stable basis for civilization in the future. Biocultural ethic emphasizes that we are co-inhabitants in the natural world; no matter how complex our inventions may become” (Peter Raven). |
definition of environment and society: Laudato Si Pope Francis, 2015-07-18 “In the heart of this world, the Lord of life, who loves us so much, is always present. He does not abandon us, he does not leave us alone, for he has united himself definitively to our earth, and his love constantly impels us to find new ways forward. Praise be to him!” – Pope Francis, Laudato Si’ In his second encyclical, Laudato Si’: On the Care of Our Common Home, Pope Francis draws all Christians into a dialogue with every person on the planet about our common home. We as human beings are united by the concern for our planet, and every living thing that dwells on it, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Pope Francis’ letter joins the body of the Church’s social and moral teaching, draws on the best scientific research, providing the foundation for “the ethical and spiritual itinerary that follows.” Laudato Si’ outlines: The current state of our “common home” The Gospel message as seen through creation The human causes of the ecological crisis Ecology and the common good Pope Francis’ call to action for each of us Our Sunday Visitor has included discussion questions, making it perfect for individual or group study, leading all Catholics and Christians into a deeper understanding of the importance of this teaching. |
definition of environment and society: Decolonial Ecology Malcom Ferdinand, 2021-11-11 The world is in the midst of a storm that has shaped the history of modernity along a double fracture: on the one hand, an environmental fracture driven by a technocratic and capitalist civilization that led to the ongoing devastation of the Earth’s ecosystems and its human and non-human communities and, on the other, a colonial fracture instilled by Western colonization and imperialism that resulted in racial slavery and the domination of indigenous peoples and women in particular. In this important new book, Malcom Ferdinand challenges this double fracture, thinking from the Caribbean world. Here, the slave ship reveals the inequalities that continue during the storm: some are shackled inside the hold and even thrown overboard at the first gusts of wind. Drawing on empirical and theoretical work in the Caribbean, Ferdinand conceptualizes a decolonial ecology that holds protecting the environment together with the political struggles against (post)colonial domination, structural racism, and misogynistic practices. Facing the storm, this book is an invitation to build a world-ship where humans and non-humans can live together on a bridge of justice and shape a common world. It will be of great interest to students and scholars in environmental humanities and Latin American and Caribbean studies, as well as anyone interested in ecology, slavery, and (de)colonization. |
definition of environment and society: Environmental Science Y. K. Singh, 2006-12 Environmental Science is one of the most important areas of research and study in present time and its application in every aspect of life has also increased . Keeping this in view, almost all Indian Universities have introduced it as a compulsory course. This book is intended to suit the needs of graduate and postgraduate students pursuing environmental studies. To save the natural environment, a good and effective understanding of environmental science is needed. Environmental science is a term that has been widely used in recent years and its manifestations can range from environmental awareness learning through complex and expensive environmental study to operational research studies of environmental educations systems. |
definition of environment and society: Environment and Tourism Andrew Holden, 2000 For many people, holidays are an increasingly central feature of contemporary western society. The tourism industry has expanded rapidly since 1950, but this book poses the significant question of consequent environmental impacts: are environments being benefited or damaged, by the tourist who visit them? A well-balanced introductory text, this topical book on the relationships between tourism, society and the environment, examines 'tourism' and 'environment' in detail, and gives a historical overview of the growth of the tourism industry. It discusses how the tourism industry markets physical and cultural environments to be consumed by the tourist, and the consequences of the tourism they then attract. It explores: * how the economics of tourism can be adopted in a positive way to aid conservation * whether the concept of sustainability can be applied to tourism * provides a critique of the 'new' forms of tourism, that have developed in recent years. An extensive range of international case studies from both the developed and developing world are used to illustrate the theoretical ideas presented, and to aid the student, it includes end of chapter summaries, further reading guides and boxed vignettes focusing on contemporary environmental issues and debates. |
definition of environment and society: Just Sustainabilities Robert Doyle Bullard, Julian Agyeman, Bob Evans, 2012 Environmental activists and academics alike are realizing that a sustainable society must be a just one. Environmental degradation is almost always linked to questions of human equality and quality of life. Throughout the world, those segments of the population that have the least political power and are the most marginalized are selectively victimized by environmental crises. This book argues that social and environmental justice within and between nations should be an integral part of the policies and agreements that promote sustainable development. The book addresses the links between environmental quality and human equality and between sustainability and environmental justice. |
definition of environment and society: Toward Unity among Environmentalists Bryan G. Norton, 1994-09-01 Today, six out of ten Americans describe themselves as active environmentalists or as sympathetic to the movement's concerns. The movement, in turn, reflects this millions-strong support in its diversity, encompassing a wide spectrum of causes, groups, and sometimes conflicting special interests. For far-sighted activists and policy makers, the question is how this diversity affects the ability to achieve key goals in the battle against pollution, erosion, and out-of-control growth. This insightful book offers an overview of the movement -- its past as well as its present -- and issues the most persuasive call yet for a unified approach to solving environmental problems. Focusing on examples from resource use, pollution control, protection of species and habitats, and land use, the author shows how the dynamics of diversity have actually hindered environmentalists in the past, but also how a convergence of these interests around forward-looking policies can be effected, despite variance in value systems espoused. The book is thus not only an assessment of today's movement, but a blueprint for action that can help pull together many different concerns under a common banner. Anyone interested in environmental issues and active approaches to their solution will find the author's observations both astute and creative. |
definition of environment and society: Business, Organized Labour and Climate Policy Peter Glynn, Timothy Cadman, Tek Narayan Maraseni, 2017-04-28 This impartial study analyses the role of employer’s organisations and trade unions in climate change policy and its impacts on the labour market. The policies of government to manage greenhouse gas emissions will require business to change its product and service delivery arrangements, which in turn means labour requirements will also change. The book also considers whether labour market issues should be explicit in the theoretical framework of ecological modernisation as it guides the policy development process. |
definition of environment and society: Routledge Handbook of Environment and Society in Asia Paul G. Harris, Graeme Lang, 2014-09-19 Nowhere is the connection between society and the environment more evident and potentially more harmful for the future of the world than in Asia. In recent decades, rapid development of Asian countries with very large populations has led to an unprecedented increase in environmental problems such as air and water pollution, solid and hazardous wastes, deforestation, depletion of natural resources and extinction of native species. This handbook provides a comprehensive survey of the cultural, social and policy contexts of environmental change across East Asia. The team of international experts critically examine a wide range of environmental problems related to energy, climate change, air, land, water, fisheries, forests and wildlife. The editors conclude that, with nearly half of the human population of the planet, and several rapidly growing economies, most notably China, Asian societies will determine much of the future of human impacts on the regional and global environments. As climate change-related threats to society increase, the book strongly argues for increased environmental consciousness and action in Asian societies. This handbook is a very valuable companion for students, scholars, policy makers and researchers working on environmental issues in Asia. |
definition of environment and society: Decision Making for the Environment National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Center for Economic, Governance, and International Studies, Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change, Panel on Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities for Environmental Decision Making, 2005-07-01 With the growing number, complexity, and importance of environmental problems come demands to include a full range of intellectual disciplines and scholarly traditions to help define and eventually manage such problems more effectively. Decision Making for the Environment: Social and Behavioral Science Research Priorities is the result of a 2-year effort by 12 social and behavioral scientists, scholars, and practitioners. The report sets research priorities for the social and behavioral sciences as they relate to several different kinds of environmental problems. |
definition of environment and society: An Invitation to Environmental Sociology Michael Mayerfeld Bell, Loka L. Ashwood, 2015-07-01 “This is not only the best environmental sociology text I’ve used, but it is the best text of any type I’ve used in college-level teaching.” –Dr. Cliff Brown, University of New Hampshire Join author Mike Bell and new co-author Loka Ashwood as they explore “the biggest community of all” and bring out the sociology of environmental possibility. The highly-anticipated Fifth Edition of An Invitation to Environmental Sociology delves into this rapidly changing and growing field in a clear and artful manner. Written in a lively, engaging style, this book explores the broad range of topics in environmental sociology with a personal passion rarely seen in sociology books. The Fifth Edition contains new chapters entitled “Money and Markets,” “Technology and Science,” and “Living in An Ecological Society.” In addition, this edition brings in fresh material on extraction between core and periphery countries, the industrialization of agriculture, the hazards of fossil fuel production, environmental security, and making environmentalism normal. |
definition of environment and society: Companion to Environmental Studies Noel Castree, Mike Hulme, James D. Proctor, 2018-05-01 Companion to Environmental Studies presents a comprehensive and interdisciplinary overview of the key issues, debates, concepts, approaches and questions that together define environmental studies today. The intellectually wide-ranging volume covers approaches in environmental science all the way through to humanistic and post-natural perspectives on the biophysical world. Though many academic disciplines have incorporated studying the environment as part of their curriculum, only in recent years has it become central to the social sciences and humanities rather than mainly the geosciences. ‘The environment’ is now a keyword in everything from fisheries science to international relations to philosophical ethics to cultural studies. The Companion brings these subject areas, and their distinctive perspectives and contributions, together in one accessible volume. Over 150 short chapters written by leading international experts provide concise, authoritative and easy-to-use summaries of all the major and emerging topics dominating the field, while the seven part introductions situate and provide context for section entries. A gateway to deeper understanding is provided via further reading and links to online resources. Companion to Environmental Studies offers an essential one-stop reference to university students, academics, policy makers and others keenly interested in ‘the environmental question’, the answer to which will define the coming century. |
definition of environment and society: The Perception of the Environment Tim Ingold, 2021-11-29 In this work Tim Ingold offers a persuasive new approach to understanding how human beings perceive their surroundings. He argues that what we are used to calling cultural variation consists, in the first place, of variations in skill. Neither innate nor acquired, skills are grown, incorporated into the human organism through practice and training in an environment. They are thus as much biological as cultural. To account for the generation of skills we have therefore to understand the dynamics of development. And this in turn calls for an ecological approach that situates practitioners in the context of an active engagement with the constituents of their surroundings. The twenty-three essays comprising this book focus in turn on the procurement of livelihood, on what it means to ‘dwell’, and on the nature of skill, weaving together approaches from social anthropology, ecological psychology, developmental biology and phenomenology in a way that has never been attempted before. The book is set to revolutionise the way we think about what is ‘biological’ and ‘cultural’ in humans, about evolution and history, and indeed about what it means for human beings – at once organisms and persons – to inhabit an environment. The Perception of the Environment will be essential reading not only for anthropologists but also for biologists, psychologists, archaeologists, geographers and philosophers. This edition includes a new Preface by the author. |
definition of environment and society: Environmentally Significant Consumption National Research Council, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Board on Environmental Change and Society, Committee on the Human Dimensions of Global Change, 1997-07-09 There has been much polemic about affluence, consumption, and the global environment. For some observers, consumption is at the root of global environmental threats: wealthy individuals and societies use far too much of the earth's resource base and should scale back their appetites to preserve the environment for future generations and allow a decent life for the rest of the world. Other observers see affluence as the way to escape environmental threats: economic development increases public pressure for environmental protection and makes capital available for environmentally benign technologies. The arguments are fed by conflicting beliefs, values, hopes, and fearsâ€but surprisingly little scientific analysis. This book demonstrates that the relationship of consumption to the environment needs careful analysis by environmental and social scientists and conveys some of the excitement of treating the issue scientifically. It poses the key empirical questions: Which kinds of consumption are environmentally significant? Which actors are responsible for that consumption? What forces cause or explain environmentally significant consumption? How can it be changed? The book presents studies that open up important issues for empirical study: Are there any signs of saturation in the demand for travel in wealthy countries? What is the relationship between environmental consumption and human well-being? To what extent do people in developing countries emulate American consumption styles? The book also suggests broad strategies that scientists and research sponsors can use to better inform future debates about the environment, development, and consumption. |
definition of environment and society: Our Common Future , 1990 |
definition of environment and society: The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood, 2011-09-06 An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (New York Times). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss. In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning. |
definition of environment and society: The Fourth Industrial Revolution Klaus Schwab, 2017-01-03 World-renowned economist Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, explains that we have an opportunity to shape the fourth industrial revolution, which will fundamentally alter how we live and work. Schwab argues that this revolution is different in scale, scope and complexity from any that have come before. Characterized by a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, the developments are affecting all disciplines, economies, industries and governments, and even challenging ideas about what it means to be human. Artificial intelligence is already all around us, from supercomputers, drones and virtual assistants to 3D printing, DNA sequencing, smart thermostats, wearable sensors and microchips smaller than a grain of sand. But this is just the beginning: nanomaterials 200 times stronger than steel and a million times thinner than a strand of hair and the first transplant of a 3D printed liver are already in development. Imagine “smart factories” in which global systems of manufacturing are coordinated virtually, or implantable mobile phones made of biosynthetic materials. The fourth industrial revolution, says Schwab, is more significant, and its ramifications more profound, than in any prior period of human history. He outlines the key technologies driving this revolution and discusses the major impacts expected on government, business, civil society and individuals. Schwab also offers bold ideas on how to harness these changes and shape a better future—one in which technology empowers people rather than replaces them; progress serves society rather than disrupts it; and in which innovators respect moral and ethical boundaries rather than cross them. We all have the opportunity to contribute to developing new frameworks that advance progress. |
definition of environment and society: Enabling America Institute of Medicine, Committee on Assessing Rehabilitation Science and Engineering, 1997-11-24 The most recent high-profile advocate for Americans with disabilities, actor Christopher Reeve, has highlighted for the public the economic and social costs of disability and the importance of rehabilitation. Enabling America is a major analysis of the field of rehabilitation science and engineering. The book explains how to achieve recognition for this evolving field of study, how to set priorities, and how to improve the organization and administration of the numerous federal research programs in this area. The committee introduces the enabling-disability process model, which enhances the concepts of disability and rehabilitation, and reviews what is known and what research priorities are emerging in the areas of: Pathology and impairment, including differences between children and adults. Functional limitationsâ€in a person's ability to eat or walk, for example. Disability as the interaction between a person's pathologies, impairments, and functional limitations and the surrounding physical and social environments. This landmark volume will be of special interest to anyone involved in rehabilitation science and engineering: federal policymakers, rehabilitation practitioners and administrators, researchers, and advocates for persons with disabilities. |
definition of environment and society: Sustainability Ethics and Sustainability Research Christian Becker, 2011-10-11 The book identifies the specific ethical aspects of sustainability and develops ethical tools to analyze them. It also provides a methodological framework to integrate ethical and scientific analyses of sustainability issues, and explores the notion of a new type of self-reflective inter- and transdisciplinary sustainability research. With this, the book aims to strengthen the overall ability of academics to contribute to the analysis and solution of sustainability issues in an inclusive and integrated way. |
definition of environment and society: Silent Spring Rachel Carson, 2002 The essential, cornerstone book of modern environmentalism is now offered in a handsome 40th anniversary edition which features a new Introduction by activist Terry Tempest Williams and a new Afterword by Carson biographer Linda Lear. |
definition of environment and society: The Oxford Handbook of Business and the Natural Environment Pratima Bansal, Andrew J. Hoffman, 2012 This Handbook discusses the main issues, research, and theory on business and the natural environment, and how they impact on different business functions and disciplines |
definition of environment and society: Globalization and the Environment Gabriela Kutting, 2012-02-01 This groundbreaking study brings together economic globalization and the environment as never before. Gabriela Kütting argues for an eco-holistic approach that merges social, political, economic, and environmental analysis, so that a globalizing political economy may be understood in relation to environmental and social concerns. Key to this merging are the historical dimension of environmental-societal relations, the concept of consumption, and the concept of equity. To illustrate the utility of the eco-holistic approach, Kütting draws out the linkages between social and environmental degradation in West Africa, environmental and economic policies in the North, and the shopping habits of individual consumers, using cotton agriculture and the globalizing political economy of textiles as a case study. |
DEFINITION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of DEFINITION is a statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol. How to use definition in a sentence.
DEFINITION Definition & Meaning - Dictionary.com
Definition definition: the act of defining, or of making something definite, distinct, or clear.. See examples of DEFINITION used in a sentence.
DEFINITION | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
DEFINITION definition: 1. a statement that explains the meaning of a word or phrase: 2. a description of the features and…. Learn more.
DEFINITION definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
A definition is a statement giving the meaning of a word or expression, especially in a dictionary.
definition noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage …
Definition of definition noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Definition - Wikipedia
A nominal definition is the definition explaining what a word means (i.e., which says what the "nominal essence" is), and is definition in the classical sense as given above. A real definition, …
Definition - definition of definition by The Free Dictionary
Here is one definition from a popular dictionary: 'Any instrument or organization by which power is applied and made effective, or a desired effect produced.' Well, then, is not a man a machine?
definition - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jun 8, 2025 · definition (countable and uncountable, plural definitions) ( semantics , lexicography ) A statement of the meaning of a word , word group, sign , or symbol ; especially, a dictionary …
Definition Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
DEFINITION meaning: 1 : an explanation of the meaning of a word, phrase, etc. a statement that defines a word, phrase, etc.; 2 : a statement that describes what something is
Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words
3 days ago · The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years!
DEFINITION Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster
The meaning of DEFINITION is a statement of the meaning of a word or word group or a sign or symbol. How to use definition in a sentence.
DEFINITION Definition & Meaning - Dictionary.com
Definition definition: the act of defining, or of making something definite, distinct, or clear.. See examples of DEFINITION used in a sentence.
DEFINITION | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary
DEFINITION definition: 1. a statement that explains the meaning of a word or phrase: 2. a description of the features and…. Learn more.
DEFINITION definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
A definition is a statement giving the meaning of a word or expression, especially in a dictionary.
definition noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage …
Definition of definition noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
Definition - Wikipedia
A nominal definition is the definition explaining what a word means (i.e., which says what the "nominal essence" is), and is definition in the classical sense as given above. A real definition, by …
Definition - definition of definition by The Free Dictionary
Here is one definition from a popular dictionary: 'Any instrument or organization by which power is applied and made effective, or a desired effect produced.' Well, then, is not a man a machine?
definition - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jun 8, 2025 · definition (countable and uncountable, plural definitions) ( semantics , lexicography ) A statement of the meaning of a word , word group, sign , or symbol ; especially, a dictionary …
Definition Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary
DEFINITION meaning: 1 : an explanation of the meaning of a word, phrase, etc. a statement that defines a word, phrase, etc.; 2 : a statement that describes what something is
Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words
3 days ago · The world's leading online dictionary: English definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more. A trusted authority for 25+ years!