| 1. |
- Hedlund, John, et al.
(author)
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Agriculture, Pesticide Use, and Economic Development: A Global Examination (1990–2014)
- 2020
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In: Rural Sociology. - : Wiley. - 0036-0112 .- 1549-0831. ; 85, s. 519-544
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Modern agricultural production typically requires large quantities of chemical pesticides, a potential source of both environmental and human harm. Previous social science research has suggested that environmental problems such as those associated with pesticide use may begin to decline at higher levels of economic development. Using fixed effects models, we examine whether this possible relationship holds within nations and over time. This study draws on data from the World Bank as well as pesticide use data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to examine the relationship between pesticide use and economic development within nations from 1990 to 2014. The findings are considered from theoretical perspectives in environmental sociology on the drivers of environmental impacts: the treadmill of production theory, structural human ecology, ecological modernization theory, and the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. The results of this study show a positive relationship between economic development and pesticide consumption over time, with no decline in use at higher levels of economic development. Thus, they generally support the claims made by treadmill of production and structural human ecology.
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| 2. |
- Hedlund, J., et al.
(author)
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THE ROLE OF DISTINCTION IN DIALECTICAL ANALYSES OF SOCIOECOLOGY Metabolic Rift World Ecology, and Urban Political Ecology
- 2022
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In: World Review of Political Economy. - : Pluto Journals. - 2042-891X .- 2042-8928. ; 13:4, s. 449-475
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The concept of metabolism, as applied to the interrelations between human society and the rest of nature, has been one of the most fruitful iterations of socioecological thought over the last few decades. Here we will examine specific orientations of metabolic thought commonly employed in the social sciences, and their depiction of metabolism as it relates to the "society-nature" problematic and elaborate on the role of the dialectical method when analyzing socioecological processes and distinctions between society and the rest of nature. We will review two overarching uses of metabolism: the theory of metabolic rift and a hybridist metabolic approach to socio-nature. While the former regards society as an emergent property of nature, the latter regards distinctions between the two as undialectical and dualist. First, we review each of these approaches and how they differ in their application of the dialectical method. Then we explore some of the analytic implications of these differing approaches. We contend that a dialectical method that allows for, and encourages, analytical distinction is essential, and that the metabolic rift theory provides an important potential for advancing socioecological analysis in an era of anthropogenic environmental change through its use of analytical distinction between social and environmental phenomena.
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| 3. |
- Isgren, Ellinor, et al.
(author)
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Sustainability science must challenge common sense: a response to Bodin (2021)
- 2022
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In: Sustainability Science. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1862-4065 .- 1862-4057. ; 17, s. 2643-2645
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this comment, we respond to the claim of (Bodin, Sustain Sci 16: 2151–2155, 2021) that sustainability science, as a research community, has begun to “lean to the left” in a problematic manner. On one hand, we remain unconvinced by the examples cited as indications for this tendency, and argue for caution in making such judgements. On the other hand, we hold that that there may be reasons for seemingly “left leaning” positions which are scientific rather than purely political or ideological. Finally, we urge sustainability scientists to take heed of social theorists’ insights regarding the pitfalls of common sense analysis. This can better enable open and reflexive debate on the field’s development as well as the challenges it seeks to address.
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| 4. |
- Longo, Stefano, 1969, et al.
(author)
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Key challenges to the corporate biosphere stewardship research program: inequity, reification, and stakeholder commensurability
- 2022
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In: Global Sustainability. - : Cambridge University Press (CUP). - 2059-4798. ; 5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Non-Technical Summary Research on corporate biosphere stewardship and the related concept of keystone actor has proliferated in recent years. We scrutinize the program focusing on issues and assumptions associated with inequality, naturalizing social processes, or reification, and characterizing corporations as equivalent stakeholders in sustainable development with other actors and organizations. As a result, we argue the program does not promote the stated claim of transformative change for sustainability. We suggest that the research program should develop a deeper analysis of social dynamics, forces, and structures, based in social theory, particularly sociological work, which can help reveal common taken for granted assumptions. Technical Summary We highlight important assumptions associated with the research program in sustainability science developed around corporate biosphere stewardship and the promise of science-business initiatives. In doing so, we interrogate a central concept in this research, keystone actors. We analyze the program based on associated research outputs and communications, focusing on three key challenges 1) inequities related to the concentration of political-economic power 2) concerns with naturalizing social processes, or reification, and 3) the limitations of characterizing corporations as commensurable stakeholders in sustainable development. This research program has revealed some important conditions and dynamics in relation to consolidation and concentration in global industries. However, it has been limited by insufficient integration of knowledge from social science, particularly sociology. Thus, the approach tends to undertheorize social dynamics, processes, and structures. Despite being framed as an effort at improving the prospects for transformative change, the implications, outcomes, and recommendations that emerge from this research program may inadvertently promote increased control and power of elite actors by presenting an ostensible inevitability of corporate dominance for bringing about social welfare and sustainability. We suggest greater attention to social structural dynamics, and particularly social struggles and social movements, when considering the potential for transformational change for sustainability.
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| 5. |
- Longo, Stefano, 1969, et al.
(author)
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Nutrient overloading in the Chesapeake Bay: Structural conditions in poultry production and the socioecological drivers of marine pollution
- 2021
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In: Sociology of Development. - : University of California Press. - 2374-538X. ; 7, s. 416-440
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We examine socioecological drivers of nutrient overloading and eutrophication in the Chesapeake Bay associated with poultry production on the Delmarva Peninsula. We use a social metabolic analysis-rooted in a political-economy perspective-that highlights the interchange of matter and energy and the inextricable links within and between social and ecological systems, illuminating the social structural processes contributing to ecological changes. The concentration and consolidation of poultry production through integration, which involves contract farming, and geographic concentration of operations, have been associated with intensified and increased scale of chicken (broiler) production. These processes have had significant effects on waste accumulation, maintenance, and disposal, and this industry has become one of the major contributors of nutrient overloading in the Chesapeake Bay. This study, therefore, specifies social processes that are driving environmental changes between land and sea.
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| 6. |
- Longo, Stefano, 1969, et al.
(author)
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Sociology for sustainability science
- 2021
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In: Discover Sustainability. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2662-9984. ; 2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Sociological insights are often underutilized in sustainability science. To further strengthen its commitment to interdisciplinary problem-driven, solutions-oriented research, sustainability science can better incorporate fundamental sociological conceptions into its core. We highlight four aspects of sociological thought that we consider crucial for advancing sustainability science research: (1) social construction and critical realism, (2) structure and agency, (3) historical specificity, and (4) collective action. We draw on examples from sociology to support a dynamic understanding of how social relations interact with the bio-geo-physical world. This necessary integration of sociological insights, we argue, is critical to generate comprehensive assessments of the causes and consequences of human-induced environmental change, and tend to be overlooked or oversimplified within the field of sustainability science. Beyond that, it can stimulate the development and implementation of viable solutions to sustainability challenges.
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| 7. |
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| 8. |
- Szabo, Adriana, et al.
(author)
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Environmental threats and activism against extractive industries: The case of gold mining in Rosia Montană, Romania
- 2022
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In: Journal of Rural Studies. - : Elsevier BV. - 0743-0167 .- 1873-1392. ; 92, s. 26-34
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Extractive industries often promise prosperity to less economically developed regions of the world. However, projects that rely on extractive industries such as mining often pose significant environmental threats to the host regions. The tension between economic promises and environmental impacts can spark significant conflict in rural communities. This study analyzes a proposed mining project in Roșia Montană, Romania, which pitted pro-mining proponents against local residents and activists. The data from this project come from in-depth interviews, company and NGO documents and extensive newspaper coverage of the proposed mine. The research examines how political threats can exacerbate environmental threats in cases of rural protest movements, as well as how the confluence of opportunities and threats shaped resistance to the proposed mine. Findings indicate that environmental threats can serve as a powerful mobilizing force in opposing risky development projects, even in economically depressed regions.
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