| Synopsis: |
Climate change places increased responsibility on individuals and institutions in environmental policy, with environmental impacts increasingly affecting those with the least power to seek change. As a result, the relationship between citizenship and the environment is becoming a hotly debated topic in both research and policy communities. Using new evidence and cases from across the globe, "Environment and Citizenship" explores the new vocabulary of ecological citizenship and examines how successful environmental policy-making depends on the responsible actions of citizens and civil society organizations as much as on governments and international treaties. This accessible and thought provoking book provides a comprehensive and timely guide to the debates on environmental and ecological citizenship, expertly combining examples of practice with theory. It examines how environmental movements have become increasingly involved in governance processes at the local, national, regional and intergovernmental levels.It explores the increasing importance of corporations and transnational networks through examples of stakeholding processes and participatory research in environmental decision-making. It calls upon researchers, policy makers and activists to face up a new challenge - how to effectively link environmental justice with social justice. Breaking new ground, Smith and Pangsapa address how environmental responsibility operates through politics, ethics, culture and the everyday experiences of activists, as well as how awareness of environmental and social injustice only leads to responsible actions and strategic change through civic engagement. |