Keywords
Citation
(2001), "BOOKS. Exploring Sustainable Consumption: Environmental Policy and the Social Sciences", International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, Vol. 2 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijshe.2001.24902dae.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
BOOKS. Exploring Sustainable Consumption: Environmental Policy and the Social Sciences
BOOKS
Exploring Sustainable Consumption: Environmental Policy and the Social Sciences
Edited by Maurie Cohen (The New Jersey Institute of Technology) and Joseph Murphy (Oxford Centre for the Environment, Ethics and Society)224 pp.ISBN 0-08-043920-9Price: Order formNLG162 (EUR73.51) US $80
Keywords: Sustainable development, Social sciences, Consumerism
Consumption and lifestyles in the world's richest countries are a significant cause of global environmental problems. Consumerism is increasingly recognised as a major drain on global resources and the search for sustainable consumption is emerging as a key policy issue. In Exploring Sustainable Consumption Maurie Cohen and Joseph Murphy have brought together an internationally recognised group of authors who critically examine this key area of policy debate. Through papers by Jouni Paavola, David Goodman, Michael Redclift, Elizabeth Shove and other major authors, Exploring Sustainable Consumption addresses issues including food and water consumption, green consumerism, the consumption of space, the role of technology and the pursuit of sustainable lifestyles. It criticises naïve proposals that emphasise technological optimism and a limited understanding of consumption practices. The authors locate sustainable consumption within the history of debates about the environmental impact of modern societies and examine how governments and others are approaching this issue. Each contributor examines consumption-environment relationships from his or her own disciplinary perspective. This rich and diverse literature is used to outline new approaches to policy and action. The book represents a major contribution to the sustainable consumption debate and illustrates the valuable contribution that the social sciences can make.