What to read after Environmental Conflict and Democracy in Canada?

Environmental issues are moving from the margins to the centre of discussion and debate in Canada, as conflicts over fisheries, forests, farming practices, and climate-change policy are brought to our attention daily. What can the experiences of environmental activists and other actors tell us about the nature of our democracy and our abilities, as citizens, to achieve a socially just and ecologically sustainable society?

The contributors to this path-breaking collection argue that environmental conflicts are always about our rights and responsibilities as citizens and the quality of our democratic institutions and offer sixteen case studies that range from First Nations resistance to the coastal fisheries crisis, to regulatory battles over genetically modified crops, to the implications of suburban sprawl. These essays bring the perspectives of science, environmental justice, social movement theory, and institutional design to bear on environmental conflicts, provide a critical assessment of green democratic theory, and present the case for a Gramscian understanding of environmental politics.

By grounding theory in empirical study of the discourses and practices of social actors, political economy, and institutions, Environmental Conflict and Democracy in Canada charts a new course for research in environmental citizenship. It is essential reading for anyone interested in political ecology and the environmental challenges we now face.