Given the escalating and existential nature of our current environmental crises, environmental sociology has never mattered more. We now face global environmental threats, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, as well as local threats, such as pollution and household toxins. The complex interaction of such pervasive problems demands an understanding of the social nature of environmental impacts, the underlying drivers of these impacts, and the range of possible solutions we must examine and pursue. Environmental sociologists continue to make indispensable contributions to this crucial task.

This compact book introduces environmental sociology as a discipline and emphasizes how environmental sociologists do “public sociology,” that is, work with broad public application. Using a diversity of theoretical approaches and research methods, environmental sociologists continue to give marginalized people a voice, to identify the systemic drivers of our environmental crises, and to evaluate solutions that can help to create the best future possible. Diana Stuart shines a light on this work and gives readers insight into applying the tools of environmental sociology to minimize impacts and create a more sustainable and just world.