The International Handbook of Environmental Sociology

The International Handbook of Environmental Sociology is a major interdisciplinary reference work on the developing field of environmental sociology. It consists of over 30 specially commissioned essays by leading scholars from around the world. These original essays examine a wide range of environmental issues in the developed and developing world as well as formerly centrally planned countries to present a truly international perspective. Together they analyze theory and concepts, philosophical and empirical issues as well as offering practical policy advice. The contributions range from general assessments to region specific analysis, and provide international comparisons of environmental problems. In the first part the central focus is on theoretical and conceptual issues. In the second part the authors consider some of the major areas of interest in the field including gender, environmental consciousness, economic growth and politics. Finally, the third part focuses on explicit analyses of specific regions and countries. This comprehensive reference work presents a state-of-the-art analysis of the evolution of environmental sociology, its current state and future prospects. Spanning a wide range of issues, and presented from an interdisciplinary perspective, this Handbook will serve as a benchmark for future work in the social sciences.