Distinguishing Environmental Sociology and the Environmental State Approach

In this presentation, Dr. Dana Fisher first highlights a theoretical distinction between environmental sociology and the environmental state. She defines key concepts in environmental sociology-the treadmill of production, overshoot, and metabolic rift-all of which see environmental degradation as related to economic growth. She then defines key concepts of the environmental state approach-ecological modernization, ecological reflectivity, and the world policy perspective-and notes that the environmental state approach sees environmental protection as a source of economic growth. She concludes by highlighting the differences in focus, assumptions, and research approaches between the two paradigms.