Suchergebnisse

In 1996 Bulgarian municipalities were facing practical impacts of the transition from socialism affecting their solid waste systems. Existing waste infrastructure and practices had to accommodate both increased quantities and types of waste, and new EU performance norms. New demands, in combination with rising fuel prices, made ordinary operations unaffordable. Municipal managers searching for solutions joined with environmental nongovernmental organisations and consultants in exploring alternative modes of modernising their solid waste systems, using models that deviated as much from socialist-era traditions as from emerging EU waste management doctrine. We present and analyse a selection of seventeen small-scale, leading-edge solid waste modernisation projects, implemented between 1996 and 2008 in two regions in Bulgaria. Results and insights from these projects suggest that ecological modernisation in Bulgaria is a richer and more complex process than pure compliance with EU norms, having its own dynamics in relation to adaptation of EU blueprints.

Explores the mutual learning processes that might occur at the increasing intersection of general & environmental sociology. At issue is what the sociology of flows has to offer in analyzing & understanding environmental flows in global modernity. The sociology of flows is overviewed, highlighting the work of M. Castells & J. Urry. The sociology of flows is discussed in relation to extant perspectives, particularly structuration theory, & the potential for the sociology of flows to contribute to understanding global environmental change is revealed. Environmental sociology is then addressed in terms of its historical engagement with flows, demonstrating that, in some traditions, flows are considered primarily in physical & biology terms, while others stress the social actors & dynamics of handling material flows in modern societies. Impediments confronted by environmental sociology in trying to comprehend contemporary material flows are identified. The sociology of flows is then assessed from the perspective of environmental sociology, highlighting issues of flow definitions, hybrids, power & inequalities, & states & governance. In this light, a reconstructed framework for an agenda for environmental sociology of flows is presented in closing. References. D. Edelman

A preface to a collection of essays on the governance of environmental flows amid global modernity stresses the efforts of contributors to contemplate a reformulation of social theory underlying environmental questions; these questions are delineated. Ultimately, the issue is how to assess revisions derived from the sociology of networks & flows from an environmental perspective. D. Edelman

Explores the mutual learning processes that might occur at the increasing intersection of general & environmental sociology. At issue is what the sociology of flows has to offer in analyzing & understanding environmental flows in global modernity. The sociology of flows is overviewed, highlighting the work of M. Castells & J. Urry. The sociology of flows is discussed in relation to extant perspectives, particularly structuration theory, & the potential for the sociology of flows to contribute to understanding global environmental change is revealed. Environmental sociology is then addressed in terms of its historical engagement with flows, demonstrating that, in some traditions, flows are considered primarily in physical & biology terms, while others stress the social actors & dynamics of handling material flows in modern societies. Impediments confronted by environmental sociology in trying to comprehend contemporary material flows are identified. The sociology of flows is then assessed from the perspective of environmental sociology, highlighting issues of flow definitions, hybrids, power & inequalities, & states & governance. In this light, a reconstructed framework for an agenda for environmental sociology of flows is presented in closing. References. D. Edelman

A preface to a collection of essays on the governance of environmental flows amid global modernity stresses the efforts of contributors to contemplate a reformulation of social theory underlying environmental questions; these questions are delineated. Ultimately, the issue is how to assess revisions derived from the sociology of networks & flows from an environmental perspective. D. Edelman

In this introduction, the editors suggest a framework for the study of globalization and environmental governance, review important contemporary developments in supranational environmental governance, and introduce individual contributions to the special issue. Held, McGrew, Goldblatt, and Perraton's distinction between hyperglobalist, skeptical, and transformationalist perspectives on dynamics of globalization is useful in the study of the transformations in environmental governance around the world today. Three important innovations are examined: the development of supranational environmental institutions, increased use of market-based regulatory instruments, and the rise of global civil society involvement. Emergent transformations in global environmental governance are not inevitable, and neither are they sufficient for sustainability. Rather, they are constantly threatened by the interests and actions of economic actors and constrained as well by politics, geography, and global inequality. Persistent efforts by interested parties are required to retain salience, maintain momentum, and extend effectiveness of the new forms of environmental governance.

Reviews the various debates in which ecological modernization theory has been engaged, starting with a historical perspective on some of the earlier debates that paralleled ecological modernization from its birth in the early 1980s to its maturation. Initial debates with earlier neo-Marxists & deindustrialization/counterproductivity theorists were formative for ecological modernization theory, but are no longer all of similar relevance today; more contemporary discussions only to some extent reflect similar topics. Constructivists & postmodernists are confronted on the material foundation of social theory, controversies with ecocentrists on radical vs reformist environmental reforms are refined, & social inequalities in environmental problems & reform are viewed through a neo-Marxist lens. 83 References. Adapted from the source document.