Environment and Society

Wendy Wiedenhoft Murphy is a Professor of Sociology at John Carroll University, specializing in Environmental Sociology, Consumer Culture, and Sociological Theory. She is the author of Consumer Culture and Society (2017), co-editor (with George Ritzer) of the Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Sociology, 2nd Edition (2020), and co-author (with George Ritzer) of  Introduction to Sociology, 5th Edition (2019).

This book is engaging, highly readable, and does a fantastic job introducing theoretical concepts into discussions of modern environmental issues. Straightforward and relatable, at once conversational and academic.

• PrefaceAcknowledgementsAbout the AuthorChapter 1: Climate Change and SustainabilityToward a Sociology of Climate Change and SustainabilityClimate Change 101Climate Resilience: Mitigation and AdaptationSustainability 101ConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 2: Nature, Society & Environmental EthicsA Brief History of Society and NatureEnvironmental Ethics: Preservation,Conservation, and EcologyInclusivity: Eco-Feminism and Indigenous KnowledgeConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 3: PopulationMalthusian Population Theory and its CriticsDemographic Transition ModelImmigration and MigrationUrbanizationConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 4: Consumption and AffluenceHousehold ConsumptionUnsustainable Consumption: Planned Obsolescence and WasteSustainable ConsumptionAffluence: The Problem or the Solution?ConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 5: Technology and EnergyThe Transition to Green(er) EnergyRenewable EnergyGreen TechnologiesRiskConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 6: Governance: Global Institutions, Nation-States, and CitiesThe Kyoto Protocol: Trial and ErrorThe Paris Agreement: Lessons LearnedClimate Change in the United States: Political Polarization and Policy DelayConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 7: Non-state Actors: Civil Society and the Climate MovementNGOs and the Global Climate RegimeCopenhagen: COP15 and the Climate Justice MovementFossil Fuel Divestment and BlockadiaYouth & New Climate ActivismConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 8: Environmental and Climate JusticeJustice and Human RightsFour Forms of JusticeFrom Environmental Justice to Climate JusticeEnergy Justice and Just TransitionConclusionKey TermsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 9: Good Health, Food Security, and Well-BeingPhysical HealthHunger and Food InsecurityMalnutrition: Undernutrition and ObesityMental Health and Well-BeingConclusionKey ConceptsDiscussion QuestionsChapter 10: Becoming Sustainable, Realizing ResilienceProgress…so farBuilding Resilient Campuses: Sustainability in ActionConclusionKey ConceptsDiscussion QuestionsGlossary