Sociology, environmentalism, globalization : reinventing the globe / Steven Yearley.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yearley, Steven.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Environmentalism.

Environmental policy.

Physical Description:

x, 161 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

London ; Thousand Oaks [Calif.] : SAGE Publications, 1996.

Summary:

This concise and authoritative book brings together the sociologies of globalization and of the environment in one readable volume. Yearley argues that environmental issues have received scant attention in the general debate on globalization even though environmentalists have been very successful in capturing the language and imagery of the globe. That both pressure groups and policy makers are now calling for 'global environmental change' implies that the problems are global in nature and that any adequate response requires common global action.

Yearley is critical of both assumptions. He contends that various forces are combining to produce fragmentation instead of unity. There are competing visions of the globe's needs and of its proper future direction. Even the most global environmental problems, such as ozone depletion and climate change, do not have globally uniform consequences. Furthermore, many commentators in the developing world are highly suspicious of the concept of 'the global interest', believing that the term is simply used as a cover for the self-interest of the North. Yearley argues that we cannot understand the globalization of environmental concerns unless we first understand how global issues are constructed, negotiated and reworked.

Written by one of the leading commentators in the field, the book makes a major contribution to our understanding of globalization. It not only demonstrates the insights that sociology can bring to world-wide environmental problems, it also tests and extends globalization theory. It will be essential reading for students of social theory, globalization and the environment.

Contents:

1 The Sociology of Globalization 1

2 Environmental Issues and the Compression of the Globe 26

3 How do the World's Environmental Problems come to be 'Global'? 62

4 Universalizing Discourses and Globalization 100

5 Rethinking the Global 142.

Notes:

Includes bibliographic references (pages [152]-158) and index.

ISBN:

0803975163

0803975171

OCLC:

35105325