Risk and Social Theory in Environmental Management

(Paperback)

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Risk and Social Theory in Environmental Management marks a timely contribution, given that environmental management is no longer just about protecting pristine ecosystems and endangered species from anthropogenic harm; it is about calculating and managing the risks to human communities of rapid environmental and technological change. First, the book provides a solid foundation of the social theory underpinning the nature of risk, then presents a re-thinking of key concepts and methods in order to take more seriously the biophysical embeddedness of human society. Second, it presents a rich set of case studies from Australia and around the world, drawing on the latest applied research conducted by leading research institutions. In so doing, the book identifies the tensions that arise from decision making over risk and uncertainty in a contested policy environment, and provides crucial insights for addressing on-ground problems in an integrated way.

Reviews

"In this wide ranging and very topical volume Tom Measham and Stewart Lockie have gathered together an impressive international array of scholars in the panoply of modern risk assessment and management. This is a valuable addition to a congested literature as it tackles the integration of interpretations of risk in scenario building, resources planning for whole river basins, forensic analyses and the emerging arena of ecological economics. This book is timely and stretching."--Tim O'Riordan, Emeritus Professor

Author Bio

Thomas Measham is a human geographer in the Social and Economic Sciences Program of CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences and Adjunct Associate Professor at the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the ANU. His research interests are in social learning, community engagement and regional dimensions of sustainability science. Stewart Lockie is Professor and Head of the School of Sociology at the ANU, and President of the International Sociological Association's Research Committee on Environment and Society. He has developed an international reputation for his research and publications in rural and environmental sociology.