As environmental issues increasingly impinge on society, sociologists have turned their attention to nature and the environment. However, unlike the majority of sociological work on environmental issues which has too often been dominated by abstract theoretical disputes, this book concentrates on empirical studies in environmental sociology. It shows what sociologists can bring to current debates over environmental topics (including genetic modification) and--using the author's first-hand research--demonstrates how sociologists can best pursue practical work on environmental topics.

This concise and clearly written book, now available in paperback, demonstrates the power and scope of empirical analysis in environmental sociology. In doing so, it provides an antidote to the recent dominance of abstract theoretical disputes in sociological work on nature and the environment.
Dividing the author's first-hand research studies into three categories -- on cultures of movement, on environment, law and public policy, and on cultures of knowing and proving -- this text uses case studies, interviews, focus-group techniques and observational analyses to explore the development of environmentalism and the environmental movement. The analyses enable the reader to understand how environmental disputes are contested, perpetuated and resolved. The cases are carefully documented with extensive use of original materials. Drawing on the substantive findings in the empirical chapters, the book concludes with an original sociological treatment of the challenges that will face attempts to live sustainably. It is essential reading for students and academics in sociology, social anthropology, social geography and cultural studies.