Climate and Society

This bold and important new book presents current and emerging thinking on the social dimensions of climate change. Using clear language and powerful examples, it introduces key concepts and frameworks for understanding the multifaceted connections between climate and society.

Robin Leichenko and Karen O’Brien frame climate change as a social issue that calls for integrative approaches to research, policy, and action. They explore dominant and relevant discourses on the social drivers and impacts of climate change, highlighting the important roles that worldviews and beliefs play in shaping responses to climate challenges. Situating climate change within the context of a rapidly changing world, the book demonstrates how dynamic political, economic, and environmental contexts amplify risks yet also present opportunities for transformative responses.

Aimed at undergraduate students and others concerned with a critical challenge of our time, this informative and engaging book empowers readers with a range of possibilities for equitable and sustainable transformations in a changing climate.

Review

“Climate and Society finds the world at a crossroads. It explains the profound implications of the roads ahead. It documents the benefits of transformative action, the individual and the political reasons for inaction, and the consequences for society and the wider environment. These powerful ideas come from two of the most influential scholars of the social dilemmas of climate change and illuminate the necessary choices in a rigorous and methodical manner.”Neil Adger, University of Exeter“This book takes a deeply human view on the challenge of global warming, highlighting critical issues of values, discourses, equity, political economy, vulnerability, and justice, while also providing a comprehensive overview of the human dimensions of climate change.

 It engages with the emotional, cultural, and embodied experiences of a changing climate and asks readers to consider their own feelings and views.

 The authors’ call for individual and collective transformation offers information, action, hope, and opportunities to students who may feel despairing about our future.”Diana Liverman, University of Arizona