Richard A. Marcantonio – författare

The concept of environmental violence (EV) explains the harm that humanity is inflicting upon itself through our pollution emissions. This book argues that EV is present, active, and expanding at alarming rates in the contemporary human niche and in the Earth system. It explains how EV is produced and facilitated by the same inequalities that it creates and reinforces, and suggests that the causes can be attributed to a relatively small portion of the human population and to a fairly circumscribed set of behaviours. While the causes of EV are complex, the author makes this complexity manageable to ensure interventions are more readily discernible. The EV-model developed is both a theoretical concept and an analytical tool, substantiated with rigorous social and environmental scientific evidence, and designed with the intention to help disrupt the cycle of violence with effective policies and real change.

The contributors to this book represent a wide breadth of scholarly approaches, including law, social and environmental science, engineering, as well as from the arts and humanities. The chapters explore what environmental violence is and does, and the variety of ways in which it affects different communities. The authors draw on empirical data from around the globe, including Ukraine, French Polynesia, Latin America, and the Arctic. The variety of responses to environmental violence by different communities, whether through active resistance or the creative arts, are also discussed, providing the foundation on which to build alternatives to the potentially damaging trajectory on which humans currently find themselves. This book is indispensable for researchers and policymakers in environmental policy and peacebuilding. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Conflict and environmental challenges are on the rise globally. Conflict always impacts the environment, just as the environment always shapes conflict. It is tricky to understand where, how, and why they interact, and what the implications are. This book delivers a simple but robust framework to help address these complex issues. It integrates social and environmental science, policy, and management, offering an interdisciplinary approach and toolkit to assess these issues. The chapters include a range of historical and contemporary examples to contextualize and ground the framework, covering innovative ways in which people and institutions are working on these challenges in pursuit of a flourishing human society and environment. This book will be useful for researchers, students, and anyone interested in environmental policy, international relations, and conflict and peace studies. It is designed for everyone, from experts in the field to everyday citizens about to cast a vote.