1. Planet in peril
2. Environmental sociology: key perspectives and controversies
3. Social construction of environmental issues and problems
4. Environmental discourse
5. Media and environmental communication
6. Science, knowledge and environmental problems
7. Risk construction
8. Biodiversity loss: the successful "career" of a global environmental problem
9. Fear of fracking
10. Conclusion
Biography
John Hannigan is Professor of Sociology at the University of Toronto, Scarborough, Canada. His research focuses on environmental issues, the geopolitics of oceans and urban political economy. He is the author of three previous editions of Environmental Sociology (Routledge, 1995, 2006 and 2014), Fantasy City: Pleasure and Profit in the Postmodern City (Routledge, 1998), Disasters Without Borders: The International Politics of Natural Disasters (2012), The Geopolitics of Deep Oceans (2015), and Rise of the Spectacular: America in the 1950s (Routledge, 2021). He is also co-editor (with Greg Richard) of The SAGE Handbook of New Urban Studies (2017).
"The premier text in this area, the fourth edition of Environmental Sociology covers important new topics, such as the climate emergency, the significance of oceans and the interrelation of indigenous relations with environmentalism. The book provides a theoretically cohesive and engaging global analysis of environmental policy and action, of value to students and researchers alike."
David Tindell, Professor of Sociology, University of British Columbia, Canada
"John Hannigan’s Environmental Sociology is an excellent introduction to environmental sociology. It provides both a general understanding of environmental issues as well as how environmental concerns become environmental problems that society must deal with. It should be read by anyone who is interested not just in the state of the environment, but how it gets attention and thus calls for action."
Rolf Lidskog, Professor of Sociology, Örebro University, Sweden
"This fascinating book explains the ways in which the assemblage and communication of knowledge claims underpin how specific environmental matters become issues of public concern. A foundational text, Environmental Sociology critically maps out the power and influences that shape our understandings of environment and society, in the process incorporating discussion of Indigenous knowledge systems, acknowledging the unheralded insights of historical figures and highlighting the importance of expanding our knowledge frontiers to the oceans and beyond. Thoughtful and thought-provoking, it is a must read."
Rob White, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Criminology, University of Tasmania, Australia
