Climate Change and Society: Sociological Perspectives

by Riley E. Dunlap, Robert J. Brulle

Overview

Climate change is one of the most critical issues of the twenty-first century, presenting a major intellectual challenge to both the natural and social sciences. While there has been significant progress in natural science understanding of climate change, social science analyses have not been as fully developed. Climate Change and Society breaks new theoretical and empirical ground by presenting climate change as a thoroughly social phenomenon, embedded in behaviors, institutions, and cultural practices.

This collection of essays summarizes existing approaches to understanding the social, economic, political, and cultural dimensions of climate change. From the factors that drive carbon emissions to those which influence societal responses to climate change, the volume provides a comprehensive overview of the social dimensions of climate change. An improved understanding of the complex relationship between climate change and society is essential for modifying ecologically harmful human behaviors and institutional practices, creating just and effective environmental policies, and developing a more sustainable future. Climate Change and Society provides a useful tool in efforts to integrate social science research, natural science research, and policymaking regarding climate change and sustainability.

Produced by the American Sociological Association's Task Force on Sociology and Global Climate Change, this book presents a challenging shift from the standard climate change discourse, and offers a valuable resource for students, scholars, and professionals involved in climate change research and policy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199356119
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	09/21/2015
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Riley E. Dunlap is Dresser Professor and Regents Professor of Sociology at Oklahoma State University, Past President of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Environment & Society, and Past Chair of the American Sociological Association's Section on Environment & Technology. He is senior editor of the Handbook of Environmental Sociology and Sociological Theory and the Environment, and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Robert J. Brulle is Professor of Sociology and Environmental Science at Drexel University, and Past Chair of the American Sociological Association's Section on Environment & Technology. He is author of Agency, Democracy, and Nature: The U.S. Environmental Movement from a Critical Theory Perspective and co-editor of Power, Justice and the Environment. He was a 2012 -2013 Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter 1: Sociology and Global Climate Change: Introduction
Robert J. Brulle and Riley E. Dunlap

Chapter 2: The Human (Anthropogenic) Driving Forces of Global Climate Change
Eugene A. Rosa, Thomas K. Rudel, Richard York, Andrew K. Jorgenson, and Thomas Dietz

Chapter 3: Market Organizations and Environments
Charles Perrow and Simone Pulver

Chapter 4: Consumption and Climate Change
Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez and Juliet B. Schor with Wokje Abrahamse, Alison Alkon, Jonn Axsen, Keith Brown, Rachel Shwom, Dale Southerton, and Hal Wilhite

Chapter 5: Climate Justice and Inequality
Sharon L. Harlan, David N. Pellow, and J. Timmons Roberts with Shannon E. Bell, William G. Holt, and Joane Nagel

Chapter 6: Adaptation to Climate Change
JoAnn Carmin, Kathleen Tierney, Eric Chu, Lori M. Hunter, J. Timmons Roberts, and Linda Shi

Chapter 7: Mitigating Climate Change
Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez, Thomas K. Rudel, Kari Marie Norgaard, and Jeffrey Broadbent

Chapter 8: Civil Society, Social Movements, and Climate Change
Beth Schaefer Caniglia, Robert Brulle, and Andrew Szasz

Chapter 9: Public Opinion on Climate Change
Rachael L. Shwom, Aaron M. McCright, Steven R. Brechin with Riley E. Dunlap, Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt, and Lawrence C. Hamilton

Chapter 10: Challenging Climate Change: The Denial Countermovement
Riley E. Dunlap and Aaron M. McCright

Chapter 11: The Climate Change Divide in Social Theory
Robert J. Antonio and Brett Clark

Chapter 12: Methodological Approaches for Sociological Research on Climate Change
Sandra T. Marquart-Pyatt, Andrew K. Jorgenson, and Lawrence C. Hamilton

Chapter 13: Bringing Sociology into Climate Change Research and Climate Change into Sociology: Concluding Observations
Riley E. Dunlap and Robert J. Brulle

Editorial Reviews

"This is a landmark work in a number of ways. The work itself is first-rate and deserves a serious reading. Scholars and policy-makers would do well to take the time to work through the entire volume."
—Human Ecology Review

"Climate Change and Society provides a superb overview of our knowledge of the social causes and consequences of climate change, and of the social obstacles to an effective response. It is essential reading."
—Erik Olin Wright, Vilas Distinguished Professor, University of Wisconsin and Past President of the American Sociological Association

"As the evidence for anthropogenic global warming accumulates, social scientists have been largely missing in action when it comes to research on the human activities responsible for climate change. In this welcome volume, Brulle, Dunlap, and their colleagues critically review what we know about the issue, setting a clear agenda for further sociological research on this most pressing of problems."
—Doug McAdam, Stanford University

"For a crisis that demands a profound re-thinking of our most fundamental, socially-rooted systems, sociological perspectives are far too seldom part of the climate conversation. I have learned so much from the impressive list of contributors to this book, which is filled with highly useful analyses and startling insights. It is that rare volume that will be an invaluable resource for anyone engaged in the climate fight: scholars, activists, and concerned citizens alike."
—Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything and The Shock Doctrine

"Though more work always remains, the physical sciences have accomplished their core task when it comes to climate change. We know what we need to know about the causes and consequences of our actions. What we don't know is how to stop ourselves, which is why this book—and the social sciences—are so important from here on out."
—Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature and Schumann Distinguished Scholar, Middlebury College

"The strengths of this volume lie in its wide coverage, well-weighted and fully referenced analyses, and evidence stemming from a strong global reach. What is clear from reading this important volume is that the science of climate change is shifting to embrace both the social sciences and the humanities. This is a hard-won transition with intellectual blood on the carpet. This is a journey still with its momentum: hence the timeliness and academic/political significance of this book."
—Tim O'Riordan, Environment:Science and Policy for Sustainable Development

"Climate Change and Society: Sociological Perspectives compiles a comprehensive synthesis of sociological attention to climate change to date, offering both reason to commend the valuable contributions made and a roadmap for future research Riley Dunlap and Robert Brulle undertake [an] ambitious [pursuit] by seeking to synthesize the contributions sociology has made to the field of climate change research. A key message offered by the editors: we cannot afford to entertain post-political perspectives. When social forces are key drivers of climate change, addressing them means conflict and politics." \
— Contemporary Sociology

"A significant accomplishment."
—Environmental Sociology

"There are many recent books on climate change with some social science but very few that address the role of social science in such depth. This book stands out in that regard."
—Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences

"[T]he volume will be of interest not only to students of sociology and climate change and practitioners but also to climate researchers across disciplines in any endeavour to consider the social aspects of climate change."
—Environmental Politics

From the Publisher