Environment and Society: Human Perspectives on Environmental Issues

The sixth edition of Environment and Society continues to connect issues about human societies, ecological systems, and the environment with data and perspectives from different fields. While the text looks at environmental issues from a primarily sociological viewpoint, it is designed for courses in Environmental Sociology and Environmental Issues in departments of Sociology, Environmental Studies, Anthropology, Political Science, and Human Geography. Clearly defined terms and theories help familiarize students from various backgrounds with the topics at hand.

Each of the chapters is significantly updated with new data, concepts, and ideas. Chapter Three: Climate Change, Science and Diplomacy, is the most extensively revised with current natural science data and sociological insights. It also details the factors at play in the establishment of the Paris Agreement and its potential to affect global climate change. This edition elevates questions of environmental and climate justice in addressing the human-environment relations and concerns throughout the book. Finally, each chapter contains embedded website links for further discussion or commentary on a topic, concludes with review and reflection questions, and suggests further readings and internet sources.

Charles Harper is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. A member of the faculty since 1968, he has developed and taught numerous courses in the sociology department. Dr. Harper’s teaching and scholarly interests included the study of social change, globalization, the sociology of religion, social theory, and environmental sociology. He has published papers in a variety of academic journals.

Monica Snowden is Professor of Sociology at Wayne State College in rural Nebraska. Dr. Snowden earned her Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She has been teaching environmental sociology for nearly 20 years. Her research interests and publications are in the areas of environmental sociology, social inequalities and theory, teaching pedagogy, and most recently, barriers to access to health care. Several of her publications have been co-authored with her husband Joe Blankenau, a political scientist at Wayne State College.