Elizabeth R. DeSombre - What is Environmental Politics?

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2 Front Matter What is Environmental Politics? ELIZABETH R. DESOMBRE polity

3 1 Defining Environmental Politics CHAPTER 1 Defining Environmental Politics Why is it so difficult to prevent, or fix, problems of pollution? Why do we continually harvest or extract natural resources at unsustainable rates, even though these activities cause known harm to both people and ecosystems? Why do environmental problems frequently harm groups of people who are already the most vulnerable and least powerful? Addressing environmental issues isn’t primarily an issue of science or information. Despite uncertainty about some details, we frequently understand the basic processes by which environmental problems happen, at least once we discover them. Responding to – or even creating – environmental problems requires political decisions: choices by governments (and others) about how to allocate resources and prioritize tradeoffs among different social values. These political decisions involve advocacy by groups with various priorities and different levels of political influence. This political process, which can be difficult enough for many social issues, faces particular challenges when addressing the environment. Environmental politics is the study of how societies make decisions about resource use, pollution, or economic activities that influence the condition of the environment. These processes frequently, but not always, take place within government institutions. They involve or affect people from many economic and social sectors. Preventing or addressing environmental problems requires accurately diagnosing the characteristics of these problems and understanding the political processes for making rules about the activities that cause them. What is the Environment? What’s Special about the Environment? What is Politics? Notes

4 2 Uncertainty and Science Uncertainty and the Environment Risk and the Environment Scientists as Influencers of Policy The Relationship between Science and Politics Scientific Advice Meets Politics The Special Case of Climate Change Denial Science and Social Decisions Conclusion Notes

5 3 Political Structures The Role of Democracy Imperfections in Democracy Types of Electoral Systems State Capacity Conclusion Notes

6 4 Political Actors Politicians Political Parties Bureaucracies The Judiciary Environmental Interest Groups Business and Industry Business–Environment Coalitions Media Conclusion Notes

7 5 International Environmental Politics The Framework for International Environmental Politics How International Environmental Cooperation Happens: Ozone Depletion as an Example Characteristics of International Environmental Agreements Non-State International Environmental Politics Conclusion Notes

8 6 Engaging with Environmental Politics Environmental Progress Politics as the Reflection of Society Alternatives to Environmental Politics? A Defense of Environmental Politics How to Protect the Environment, Politically Remaining Questions Conclusion Notes

9 Selected Readings

10 Index

11 End User License Agreement

1 Chapter 3 Figure 3.1Environmental Kuznets curve

1 Chapter 3 Table 3.1Comparative democracy measurements

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ELIZABETH R. DESOMBRE

polity

Copyright © Elizabeth R. DeSombre 2020

The right of Elizabeth R. DeSombre to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

First published in 2020 by Polity Press

Polity Press

65 Bridge Street

Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK

Polity Press

101 Station Landing

Suite 300

Medford, MA 02155, USA

All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher.

ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3415-9

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: DeSombre, Elizabeth R., author.

Title: What is environmental politics? / Elizabeth R. DeSombre.

Description: Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA : Polity, 2020. | Series: What is politics | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “Scientific knowledge and technology alone cannot address environmental problems; they also involve difficult political choices and trade-offs both locally and globally. This concise introductory text explores the different ways in which society attempts to deal with the political decisions needed to prevent or recover from environmental damage”-- Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019029829 (print) | LCCN 2019029830 (ebook) | ISBN 9781509534135 (hardback) | ISBN 9781509534142 (paperback) | ISBN 9781509534159 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Environmentalism--Political aspects. | Environmental protection--Political aspects. | Environmental policy.