Highlighting how the environment and society are intrinsically linked,
this book argues that environmental concerns need to be treated as a
core concept in the study of sociology.
Given its focus on inequality and the constituent elements of the social
world, sociology has often been accused of negligence regarding the
urgency of the world's environmental crisis. Sociology Saves the
Planet corrects this mis-perception by integrating the theme of
environment and society to highlight the intrinsic value a sociological
perspective brings to our understanding of the current ecological
crisis. The author first draws out the origins of sociology in the
social and ecological transformations of the industrial revolution. In
accounting for the social upheavals of the 19th century, Emile Durkheim,
Karl Marx, and Max Weber all provided key insights into the changing
nature of human organization and exploitation of the natural world.
Second, readers will explore sociological perspectives developed since
that time, grounded in evidence-based research, which highlight the
inextricable connection between environment and society. Special
attention is devoted to the dual role of people as producers and
consumers in the modern context. Lastly, this book examines the
significance of major categories of social difference regarding the
current environmental crisis. In that regard the question of
environmental justice is paramount, illuminating both the
disproportionate benefit of natural resource exploitation to those
countries and individuals with higher socioeconomic status, and the
greater exposure to environmental hazard among those with less. Averting
global calamity requires we recognize the unequal social impacts of the
environmental crisis while valorizing inclusivity and the diversity of
human experience in our search for solutions.
Designed for introductory courses, this book is essential reading for
sociology students and will be of interest to students and academics
studying environment and sustainability more broadly.
