Elgar Handbooks in Energy, the Environment and Climate Change – serie

This interdisciplinary Handbook examines the relationship between environmental problem solving and religion, addressing how environmental planning often neglects the cultural influences and organizational resources of the world’s religions. It explores global faiths such as Islam and Buddhism, as well as Indigenous and emerging religions.Expert contributors from a breadth of disciplines including anthropology, ecology, education and theology use the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a unifying framework to examine multiple facets of religious practice and expression. The Handbook explores key topics including conservation, education, leadership, ecojustice, social ethics, religion’s functions in civil society, and faith-based participation in resolving environmental conflicts. They advocate for future action and research in this field, emphasizing the importance of incorporating religion as a crucial component of environmental management and problem solving.The Handbook on Religion and the Environment is an essential reference for students and academics in the fields of environmental studies, environmental science, religious studies, and political science. It is also an enlightening read for policymakers, religious leaders, ecologists, and professionals working in international development, and urban and environmental planning.

This Handbook provides a groundbreaking analysis of Africa’s journey towards sustainable energy. Moving beyond technical reports, it explores the intricate balance between achieving energy access, fostering economic development and leveraging the continent's resources to create a green and fundamentally just future. Leading experts illustrate that Africa’s energy landscape is defined by a paradox of abundant renewable resources alongside severe energy poverty, requiring a transition rooted in justice, inclusivity and strategic industrial policy. They argue that, if the continent adopts context-specific policies, attracts equitable financing and strengthens regional cooperation, it could become a potential leader in global energy transition. Assessing diverse case studies, authors advocate for an integrated approach to enable Africa to build a resilient low-carbon future on its own terms, bridging the gap between high-level policy analysis and on-the-ground technical implementation. Enlightening and incisive, this Handbook is an invaluable tool for academics and students in energy studies, African studies, development economics and environmental policy. Policymakers and government advisors will likewise benefit from its innovative and pragmatic recommendations for the future.

Offering a unique and critical perspective on energy justice, this Handbook delves into an emerging field of inquiry encapsulating multiple strands of scholarship on energy systems. Covering key topics including generation, transmission, distribution and demand, it explores fundamental questions surrounding policy, climate change, security and social movements.The Handbook illuminates the rapidly expanding and diversifying scholarly domains where energy justice has developed to date. Chapters provide an overview on energy justice issues across a range of socio-technical and political contexts, including differences along lines of race, gender, age, geography, housing, socio-economic status and infrastructure. The Handbook further incorporates non-Western perspectives to expand the transitional vocabulary and frameworks of energy justice.Grounded in empirically rich case studies from across the world to support nuanced framings, situated methods and informed policy, this Handbook will be of interest to students of development, human geography, environmental policy and politics. It will also be useful to practitioners working in international organisations and agencies working in development and the environment.

Drawing together key frameworks and disciplines that illuminate the importance of communication around climate change, this Research Handbook offers a vital knowledge base to address the urgency of conveying climate issues to a variety of audiences.International scholars survey the key disciplinary foundations of climate change communication including: climate science, audience studies, sociology, and the efficacy of diverse communication forms ranging from science communication, political communication and visual communication to film, theatre and the novel. Featuring key ideas critical to the contemporary climate discussion, such as climate denial, psychology, the use of images, journalism, campaigns, health, justice and climate change fiction, this timely Research Handbook intervenes in the global debate to offer a pathway for researchers and communicators to stimulate new methods of conceptualising and communicating climate mitigation.Presenting an in-depth exploration of climate change messaging in relation to interpretive communities, this book is crucial reading for scholars and students of media and communications, climate science and environmental studies. Its key practical insights will also benefit practitioners of climate communication and science.

This comprehensive Handbook tackles the increasingly urgent problem of the impact of climate change on conflict and human security. It analyses the ways in which scarcity of resources leads to food, water and health insecurities, resulting in population migration. Chapters cover how these contribute globally to societal insecurity and violent conflict in a growing number of regions.Featuring contributions from leading international scholars, the Handbook is divided into thematic sections, examining first the effects of environmental scarcity on security at a macro level before delving into region-specific issues and challenges. The final section investigates the actors, institutions and processes engaged with environmental security, discussing the shifting international political discourse and how this is challenging the conservative military security paradigm.The combination of comparative global analysis alongside regionally focused studies makes this Handbook an invaluable resource for all scholars and students of environment and climate security. It will also be of interest to policy professionals working on issues of environmental scarcity and new security challenges.

This book provides a timely and comprehensive analysis of how regulation can be leveraged to address worsening environmental harm, particularly in key areas such as water pollution and deforestation.Leading scholars outline the theoretical underpinnings of regulation and their practical applications, demonstrating how regulation manifests across various environmental domains and within social and policy contexts. The book provides crucial insights into the intensifying global environmental crises, examining the regulation of issues such as air, land, plastic and microplastic waste pollution. Chapters explore challenges and successes in the field, covering key topics including responsive and risk-based regulation, environmental permitting, water law and governance, market mechanisms and capacity-building in international climate law.The Research Handbook on Environmental Regulation is an essential read for scholars and students of environmental law, political science, business, geography and climate studies. It is also beneficial for national and international government agencies looking to tackle the current climate crisis.

Outlining how the concepts of green economy and green growth have become the forefront of policy and political debates within the last decade, this compelling Research Handbook investigates the policies and plans that utilise these concepts at both the local and global level to achieve a truly green economy.Commencing with a review of green economy’s development from the 1980s onwards, the Research Handbook on the Green Economy examines its progression through the 1990s, illustrating the lack of progress in the early years until sustainable development gathered traction in the early 2000s. Taking a theoretical approach to green economy research, this Research Handbook examines recent trends and developments within global industries and sectors including product circulation and manufacturing, alongside green services, construction, renewable energy and tourism. Chapters also discuss the directions and challenges for future research, in particular the concepts of ‘lean’, waste reduction and greenwashing in the green economy.This timely and fascinating book will be an excellent resource for scholars and researchers in the fields of environmental economics, economic geography, business and management studies, and environmental governance and regulation. The illustrated future strategies highlighted in this Research Handbook will also provide excellent guidance for policymakers at both local and national government levels.

The Handbook on European Union Climate Change Policy and Politics provides a wide-ranging and in-depth assessment of current and emerging challenges facing the EU in committing to and delivering increasingly ambitious climate policy objectives. It traces the development of climate and energy policies since the early 1990s and examines their continued evolution in the context of the 2019 European Green Deal.With contributions from leading international scholars, it describes the key dynamics driving policy developments and the role of key actors in climate and energy-related policy processes. Covering topics that have previously been relatively neglected, or have recently gained greater significance, such as finance and investment, ‘hard to abate’ sectors and negative emissions, this timely Handbook offers an up-to-date and unrivalled exploration of the complexities of climate policymaking.It will be of primary interest to academics researching EU politics, and environmental politics, policy, regulation and governance more widely. It will be especially pertinent to students and researchers who require more specialized knowledge of EU climate policy and politics.

This timely Handbook draws together insightful analyses of natural resource management challenges and solutions in the face of sustainable development targets and a changing global climate. Expert contributors illustrate the ways in which resource- and region-specific challenges shape national and global strategies, exploring the institutional aspects of resource management and their implications for policy making. They consider the economic, legal, environmental, social, financial and technological dimensions of resource management, consolidating interdisciplinary knowledge and setting the agenda for future research. Advancing scientific knowledge in the field, the Handbook offers a roadmap for well-informed policy making, highlighting the uncertainties and risks associated with climate change, energy and sustainability transition, and the need for a forward-looking approach to resource management. Assembling state-of-the-art contributions to provide a clearer understanding of the transformative policy developments ahead, this Handbook is crucial reading for academics and researchers of resource management, public policy, sustainability, energy transition, climate change and environmental studies. It also offers critical empirical insights for policy makers and practitioners developing innovative strategies to meet sustainability targets.

The energy transition is fundamentally transforming geopolitics, with renewable energy and other decarbonization options reshaping existing energy markets, trade flows, and energy security strategies. What new opportunities and challenges await us? Will it pacify global energy relations or bring a perilous transition?This comprehensive Handbook discusses the geopolitical implications of the energy transition. The first part summarizes established insights and delivers suitable notions and analytical frameworks to investigate the phenomenon. Subsequent parts then provide a detailed and comparative overview of the geopolitics of the energy transition from different perspectives: expectations, technologies, and countries. Combined, the chapters provide a quintessential starting point for scholars and practitioners and prepare them for changes to come.The Handbook of the Geopolitics on the Energy Transition is essential for students of politics, geography, environmental studies and international relations seeking to grasp the present circumstances of renewable energy geopolitics. It also benefits policy makers working in sectors such as energy and foreign policy.

This comprehensive Handbook assesses the escalation of global natural disasters as a result of climate change. Examining the complex interplay of human and natural activities, it highlights the growing vulnerability of people and communities in developing countries to floods, landslides, cyclones, heat waves and wildfires. The Handbook opens with a global framework analysis, outlining the implications of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction. International contributors address the roles of stakeholders in mitigating climate hazards, as well as offer detailed analysis of cross-cutting issues, including poverty, health, education and gender. Concluding chapters address the future of climate change mitigation and disaster protection, exploring the growing role of emerging technologies in disaster resilience and sustainable development. Bringing together cutting-edge research from renowned global scholars and professionals, this Handbook offers key insights for researchers and students of environmental studies and development studies, particularly those focusing on natural disasters and climate technologies. The empirical data and case analysis will also benefit practitioners, professionals and policymakers working in climate risk relief.

This timely Research Handbook explores the state of the art in energy management amidst a period of fundamental change in the field, due to the ongoing sustainable energy transition, increasing digitalization and the rising importance of resilience. It examines methodological developments and applications, addressing these growing challenges along the entire value chain and across different energy sectors.Expert authors discuss four societal mega trends: decarbonization, decentralization, digitalization and democratization, and their impact on energy management, illustrating recent developments which support the sector. Combining academic and applied approaches, they examine energy management issues within and across different spheres, such as residential and industrial energy management and the cross-sectoral example of power-to-gas. This Research Handbook provides a novel conceptual structure for the regulatory and ethical aspects of modern energy management, forming a framework for realizing the extent of decarbonization potentials in different energy end-use sectors.Students and scholars of energy economics and environmental governance, regulation and management will greatly benefit from this Research Handbook. It is also a crucial resource for academics who are studying environmental politics and policy, geopolitics and political geography, as well as practitioners working in modern energy management.

This timely Handbook presents the latest knowledge on technological innovation for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Looking beyond technical fixes, it further draws on economics, politics and sociology to explore how modern technology can contribute to effective and socially just sustainability transitions.Examining cutting-edge research on energy, transport and industry, this Handbook argues that we have the technologies and policy instruments needed to mitigate and adapt to climate change. However, for larger-scale implementation the support at the socio-economic and political levels has to be increased. Chapters further analyse the role that technology plays in key sectors, such as agriculture and forestry, in order to become more sustainable. Contributors also reflect on the position of technology in society, illustrating the wider socio-technical systems that determine the impact that new technologies can have. They call for the political will to implement and scale up technological measures to address climate change across the world.The Handbook on Climate Change and Technology will be essential reading for academics and students of climate change, energy, sustainability and environmental governance and regulation. It will also be an invaluable resource for practitioners and policymakers seeking a deeper understanding of the role of technology in sustainability transitions.

This thought-provoking Handbook explores the spatially and socially differentiated nature of climate change vulnerability. Expert authors discuss the ways that climate change vulnerability is materially and discursively produced as well as the agency, capacity and resilience of affected communities.Interdisciplinary in scope, this book features both leading and emerging international academics, offering diverse perspectives. Chapters delve into the conceptual origins and theoretical debates of climate change vulnerability, as well as existing and emerging responses to vulnerability in different environmental, cultural and social contexts. With a decolonising, Indigenous-led and justice-oriented approach, this innovative Handbook critically reflects on the concept of vulnerability, examining the disparities between the experiences of those of different gendered identities and social positions. Ultimately, this book provides insights into the navigation of communal futures in response to and beyond climate change vulnerability.Students and scholars of environmental sociology, development studies and human, environmental, social and cultural geography will greatly benefit from this Handbook’s integrated perspective. It is also a vital resource for climate change researchers working in the social sciences, as well as practitioners and policymakers working on climate change vulnerability policies and programs.

This cutting-edge Handbook provides a global perspective on the current issues affecting water politics and governance. Focusing in particular on the policy-making process and the power dynamics that it involves, it showcases the emerging diversity of objectives, instruments and governance approaches in the field of water resources.Responding to the increasing strain on water resources due to anthropogenic climate change, this Handbook examines the water policy-making process at the local, regional, national and supranational level. It discusses modes of regulatory intervention, the role of state and non-state actors, and methods for collaboration on issues concerning water. Contributing authors systematically examine how different forms of water are and should be governed, addressing floods, river deltas, surface water and groundwater. Ultimately, the Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of key theoretical approaches, empirical findings and methodological standards in the field of water politics and governance.This Handbook is an invaluable guide for students and scholars of public policy, human geography, environmental management, and sustainability governance. It is also a useful resource for water policy-makers seeking to better understand their position in the global water management system.

The interconnectedness of global society is increasingly visible through crises such as the current global health pandemic, emerging climate change impacts and increasing erosion of biodiversity. This timely Handbook navigates the challenges of adaptive governance in these complex contexts, stressing the necessarily compounded nature of biophysical and social systems to ensure more desirable governance outcomes.Highlighting the dynamics and diversity of governance systems across the globe, leading experts in the field examine the successes and failures of these systems. Synthesising theory with methodology and practical case studies, chapters explore adaptive governance in forest management, marine environments and open data ecosystems, looking closely at the role of adaptive governance in climate mitigation and disaster risk reduction. Answering the call for large-scale transformations that move societies away from unsustainable development trajectories, this prescriptive Handbook explores the existing adaptive governance measures that have driven reflexive, sustainable change. Reflecting on the past decade of research in the field, it concludes by outlining new areas of contention and inquiry for the next decade of adaptive governance research.Interdisciplinary in scope, this comprehensive Handbook will prove an invigorating read for students and scholars of environmental law, governance and regulation, and political science and public policy. Policymakers looking to innovate their adaptive governance approaches will also find this a beneficial companion.

Through careful investigation into the role of eco-innovation as a catalysing factor in the societal transition towards sustainability, this Handbook proposes more appropriate measures of innovation as a driver of change. It examines innovation from various perspectives, including labour, trade, the circular economy and energy, to illustrate a more comprehensive picture of its impacts.Chapters by leading authors from the sectors of eco-innovation, sustainability transformations and green and circular economies provide a meticulously balanced observation of innovation at local, regional, national and global scales. By featuring case studies from across Australasia, Europe and Latin America, as well as empirical work and modelling exercises, this forward-thinking Handbook links innovation to a range of interconnected topics. It imparts new evidence to offer a succinct conclusion about the potential success of certain innovation and green industrial policies.This enlightening Handbook will be valuable for scholars and academics studying economics and management, economic and social innovation, and environmental policy. It will also be of great benefit for those analysing policy and industry professionals looking to learn more about eco-innovation.

This timely Handbook offers a comprehensive outlook on global environmental politics, providing readers with an up-to-date view of a field of ever-increasing academic and public significance. Its critical perspective interrogates what is taken for granted in current institutions and social and power relations, highlighting the issues preventing meaningful change in the relationship between human societies and their biophysical underpinnings.Featuring contributions from over 60 established and emerging international scholars, the Handbook is organized into six thematic sections. It addresses theoretical approaches, contested notions, key issues, governance processes, mobilizations and emergent directions of inquiry, presenting a vital contemporary analysis of the major social science and political ecology debates over environmental questions.Scholars and students in the social sciences, in particular those studying politics and public policy, with an interest in the environment and climate change will find this Handbook to be essential reading. It will also be useful to academics in other disciplines related to ecology and environmental politics, as well as politicians and practitioners involved in green transition policies.

This incisive Research Handbook examines the relationship between energy and society, across both macro- and micro-scales, in the context of the climate crisis. Featuring an extensive examination of current research in the field from fifty expert international contributors, it offers important insights into the inter-connections between the globally organised fossil fuel energy system and the changing structures of society.Structured in four thematic parts, the Research Handbook begins with an analysis of the evolution of large-scale energy production and consumption using coal, oil and gas. Chapters then explore social divisions and inequalities in energy systems in different countries, before moving on to discuss energy governance, policy and politics, along with strategies to achieve transformation. In the final part, the Research Handbook investigates forms of knowledge, stories and public engagement being used to re-make energy futures, concluding that social sciences are identifying the inter-locking societal and technical changes needed to enable rapid systemic changes in energy.The Research Handbook on Energy and Society will be a crucial resource for social science scholars and students interested in the intersections of energy, climate change and society, including aspects of governance, policy and politics, social identity, social justice and inequalities.

Offering a unique and critical perspective on energy justice, this Handbook delves into an emerging field of inquiry encapsulating multiple strands of scholarship on energy systems. Covering key topics including generation, transmission, distribution and demand, it explores fundamental questions surrounding policy, climate change, security and social movements.The Handbook illuminates the rapidly expanding and diversifying scholarly domains where energy justice has developed to date. Chapters provide an overview on energy justice issues across a range of socio-technical and political contexts, including differences along lines of race, gender, age, geography, housing, socio-economic status and infrastructure. The Handbook further incorporates non-Western perspectives to expand the transitional vocabulary and frameworks of energy justice.Grounded in empirically rich case studies from across the world to support nuanced framings, situated methods and informed policy, this Handbook will be of interest to students of development, human geography, environmental policy and politics. It will also be useful to practitioners working in international organisations and agencies working in development and the environment.

Pushing the boundaries of flood risk management research, this comprehensive Research Handbook presents pragmatic insights into all areas relating to flood risk. Through its use of dynamic and people-centred paradigms, it explores urban flood management within localities, properties, neighbourhoods and cities.Structured around the flood risk management cycle, chapters explore the critical importance of managing the consequences of flooding whilst examining key concepts such as mitigation, preparedness, emergency management and recovery. An international range of expert contributors from an array of disciplines recognize the inadequacies of existing governance approaches and mechanisms when it comes to addressing urban flooding, and identify the ways in which these can be strengthened in order to create an integrated flood and water management framework. Adopting a forward-thinking approach, the Research Handbook also investigates future directions of flood risk management research.The Research Handbook on Flood Risk Management will be an indispensable resource for academics, researchers, and students interested in environmental geography, environmental governance and regulation, urban studies, politics and public policy and the management of natural resources.

Summarizing the current state of knowledge on the links between business and climate change, this timely Handbook analyzes how businesses contribute to and are affected by climate change, looking closely at their centrality in developing and deploying solutions to address this problem.Contributions from a global collection of scholars and practitioners explore a broad range of key industries’ impacts and responses to climate change, examining corporate strategy and leadership in the climate economy, functional perspectives and corporate practice, and climate finance. Chapters use diverse case studies to analyze climate-related business issues, including supply chain management, decarbonization, consumer decision-making, and climate-related financial investments. The Handbook delves deeper into how businesses perceive the issue of climate change, how they are affected by and engage with it, as well as the impact they have and what this impact costs. Forward-thinking, it concludes with reflections from the contributors on what the future holds for businesses and climate change.Covering matters relating to finance, economics, marketing, operations, strategy, leadership and communications, this interdisciplinary Handbook will prove invaluable to students and scholars in business management, sustainability and environmental studies, as well as to sustainability officers (and their staff) in corporations. Addressing, as it does, a wide range of climate-related issues from the corporate standpoint, it will also prove to be a useful resource for policymakers concerned with enabling solutions to climate change.