Historical Dictionary of Environmentalism

Peter Dauvergne is a professor of international relations at the University of British Columbia. Specializing in the politics of global environmental politics, his recent books include Identified, Tracked, and Profiled: The Politics of Resisting Facial Recognition Technology (2022), AI in the Wild: Sustainability in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2020), Will Big Business Destroy Our Planet? (2018), and Environmentalism of the Rich (2016).

This book seeks to be an all-in-one reference source, combining a dictionary with a chronology, bibliography, and brief thematic introduction. Dauvergne emphasizes international topics but also incorporates entries for individual countries, covering developments from the seventeenth century to the present. Types of entries include key concepts, major events, famous persons, political milestones, multilateral treaties, and nongovernmental organizations. Overall, politics is the focus more than science, religion, ethics, or philosophy, though each of these areas receives some attention, especially in the comprehensive bibliography. As a new third edition, the book also tends toward a recency bias; “Standing Rock Protests” has an entry, for example, but there is none for “bison.” Similarly, a section of illustrations highlights contemporary issues rather than historically significant people and places. However, Dauvergne’s justification that environmentalism has become a predominant global issue in more recent years is well taken. With its concise length, plentiful entries related to the United States, and extensive coverage of international agreements often in the news, this book may impress readers as more up-to-date and approachable than larger-scale environmental reference works such as the Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability (CH, May'10, 47-4782). Recommended. Lower- and upper-division undergraduates, general readers.

• PrefaceAcknowledgmentsAcronyms and Abbreviations Chronology Introduction THE DICTIONARYBibliographyAbout the Author