The second edition of "Environment and Society: Concepts for a Just Transformation" provides a significant and timely update to one of the most respected concept-driven texts in the environmental social sciences. Fully revised and substantially reimagined to highlight the concepts that support social projects for a just transformation, this edition reshapes the book around an enriched set of contemporary concepts—adding new chapters, removing outdated material, and thoroughly updating those retained—to reflect dramatic changes in how researchers, policymakers, and communities understand society-environment relations. Drawing on contributions from an even more globally diverse group of authors, the book now offers stronger representation from the Global South and a broader range of teaching approaches.
The book examines whether today’s dominant ideas and conceptual frameworks meaningfully support a "Just Transformation" amid intensifying environmental and climate crises. Across eleven concept-focused chapters—from justice, colonialism, and intersectionality to futures, metabolism, collective action, the commons, footprints, and more—contributors offer accessible syntheses, examples, and end-of-chapter discussion questions designed for classroom use.
This edition is aimed at advanced undergraduate and graduate students in fields such as environmental studies, environmental sociology, geography, sustainability, and related social sciences, as well as academics seeking a clear, comparative resource on conceptual trends. It will also interest practitioners, NGO staff, and policy professionals who need a deeper understanding of the conceptual tools shaping contemporary environmental thought.
