Description
Book SynopsisThis
Research Handbook presents the state of the art of empirical sociological research on the causes of, and solutions to, pressing environmental problems. It provides cutting-edge insights into some of the most urgent challenges facing humanity, including anthropogenic climate change and environmental pollution. The contributors argue that profound collective efforts to protect the environment are vital for sustainable development and offer practical solutions to specific contemporary issues.
Wide ranging and insightful, this Research Handbook encompasses the causes and consequences of environmental deterioration, the measurement, development and precedents of environmental concern, the determinants of pro-environmental behavior, and the acceptance of environmental policies. Key topics include the development of global CO2 emissions, prices, income and energy demand, climate change knowledge, meta-knowledge and beliefs, the collective risk social dilemma and support for city road tolls.
Scholars and students in the environmental social sciences will find this innovative Research Handbook invaluable. Critical case studies also provide important insights and recommendations for environmental decision makers.
Trade Review‘Climate change is humankind’s ultimate challenge. It is our behaviour that is causing the climate disaster, because our ancestors were selected to turn resources maximally into offspring. Our evolved heritage are ruthless harvesting strategies that need to be changed to pro-social, pro-environmental attitudes. Sociology provides the core requirements for solving this problem. Here we learn the most recent results of cutting-edge research on causes, consequences and solutions. This book may help us to survive the challenge.’ -- Manfred Milinski, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Germany
Table of ContentsContents: Preface xi Introduction to the Research Handbook on Environmental Sociology 1 Axel Franzen and Sebastian Mader PART I CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS 1 The development of global CO2 emissions 5 Axel Franzen and Sebastian Mader 2 Prices, income and energy demand 27 Brantley Liddle and Hillard Huntington 3 Consistent inequality across Germany? Exploring spatial heterogeneity in the unequal distribution of air pollution 46 Tobias Rüttenauer and Henning Best PART II MEASUREMENT, DESCRIPTION AND PRECEDENTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN 4 Testing the measurement of environmental concern: how do single items perform in comparison to multi-item scales? 68 Axel Franzen and Sebastian Mader 5 The evolution of environmental concern in Europe 84 John Kenny 6 Where do pro-environmental tendencies fit within a taxonomy of personality traits? 102 Taciano L. Milfont 7 Climate change knowledge, meta-knowledge and beliefs 122 Helen Fischer and Karlijn Van den Broek PART III THE DETERMINANTS OF PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR 8 Environmental behavior: measurement approaches and determining factors 140 Peter Preisendörfer and Andreas Diekmann 9 Non-monetary incentives and energy conservation 157 Ulf Liebe 10 The collective risk social dilemma 174 Manfred Milinski 11 Heating system choice among Swiss households: determinants and effects of policy counterfactuals 194 Patrick Bigler and Doina Radulescu 12 Is socially responsible investing (SRI) in stocks a competitive capital investment? A review of the literature and a comparative analysis based on the performance of sustainable stocks 223 Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg and Jonas F.A. Gottschalk PART IV ACCEPTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES 13 Public support for climate policy 244 Stefan Drews 14 Climate change denial among the general public: studying individual and contextual determinants in Europe 257 Christiane Lübke 15 What determines the attitude–behavior link when voting on renewable energy policies? The roles of problem perception and policy design 275 Isabelle Stadelmann-Steffen and Philippe Thalmann 16 Support for city road tolls: a question of self-interest? 298 Fabian Thiel 17 Beyond political divides: analyzing public opinion on carbon taxation in Switzerland 320 Laurent Ott, Mehdi Farsi and Sylvain Weber Index
