Environmental Sociology Quotes

“Yet, sustainability, the guiding concept behind ecological modernization, is as much a political–economic dimension as an ecological one: what can be sustained is only what political and social forces in a particular historical alignment define as acceptable (Gould et al. 1993: 231).”
― John Hannigan, Environmental Sociology

“Nevertheless, most governments remain wary of running the risk of slowing down the drive towards economic expansion or decelerating the treadmill of production (Novek & Kampen 1992). Caught in a contradictory position as both promoter of economic development and as environmental regulator, governments often engage in a process of environmental managerialism (Redclift 1986), in which they attempt to legislate a limited degree of protection sufficient to deflect criticism but not enough to derail the engine of growth. By enacting environmental policies and procedures that are complex, ambiguous and open to exploitation by the forces of capital production and accumulation (Modavi 1991: 270) the state reaffirms its commitment to strategies for promoting economic development.”
― John Hannigan, Environmental Sociology

“As environmental protection has emerged as a significant item on the policy agendas of governments, the state must increasingly balance its dual role as a facilitator of capital accumulation and economic growth and its role as environmental regulator and champion. On”
― John Hannigan, Environmental Sociology

“One possible source of inspiration for contemporary sociologists seeking to engage with environmental topics is the canon of classical social theory, notably that bequeathed to us by Durkheim, Weber and Marx. Each of these founders of the sociological field had something significant to say about nature and society, although this was often more implied than direct, and was embedded in the philosophical controversies and scholarly debates of the era in which they were writing. Some commentators have been downbeat about the potential usefulness of this canon. Goldblatt (1996: 1–6) advises that we be wary of the legacy left to us by classical sociological theory insofar as it lacks an adequate conceptual framework with which to understand the complex interactions between societies and environments. As”
― John Hannigan, Environmental Sociology

“Insomuch as Marxism eventually came to dominate social theory in some important regions of post-war European social theory, this resulted in the further exclusion of environmental issues from the discipline of sociology (Cotgrove 1991; Martell 1994).”
― John Hannigan, Environmental Sociology