Overview

Decisions by individuals, organisations, and nations shape the well-being of humans and other species, the environment, and sustainability. Decisions for Sustainability examines how we can make better decisions concerning our future. It incorporates sociological, psychological, and economic perspectives to highlight our strengths and weaknesses in decision-making, and suggest strategies to influence both individual and societal decisions. Sustainability challenges – from local land use and toxic contamination to climate change and biodiversity loss – illustrate how we can improve decision making and what factors lead to conflict. How we use science in the face of uncertainty is also examined, and a range of ethical criteria for good decisions are proposed. Emphasizing the need for diversity in decision making and clarifying the relationship between reform and societal transformation, this book provides a comprehensive view of what we know about decision-making, and how we can do better in the face of sustainability challenges.

Full Product Details

9781009169417

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Written by one of the most influential voices in environmental social science and policy over the last five decades, Decisions for Sustainability provides a state-of-the-art examination of the hard choices confronting sustainability experts. Destined to become a classic in the field.' Michael Vandenbergh, School of Law, Vanderbilt University 'From renting cars, having children, and flying on a vacation to eating meat and buying a home, almost every action we take in modern society contributes to climate change. The distinguished professor Thomas Dietz tackles this pesky aspect of the climate crisis head on in his masterful book on how the choices we make amplify carbon emissions. Interspersed with a startling array of marshaled facts, case studies, examples and even lyrics, Decisions for Sustainability is indispensable reading for anyone seeking to better comprehend the social and behavioral reasons we perpetuate climate catastrophe, but also have the personal and interpersonal skills inside ourselves to escape it.' Benjamin K. Sovacool, Boston University and Sussex University 'The wisdom of a long and distinguished career crystallized into a gem of a book. Tom weaves together theory and insights from numerous disciplines to help us understand and support decision making for a sustainable future. Excellent supplementary reading for my graduate and undergraduate classes on climate action and policy.' Elke U. Weber, Princeton University 'Tom Dietz played a major role in creating a field that we all needed, a science of humans and the environment that recognized the complexity of their interdependence. With Decisions for Sustainability, he has created an introduction that we all need: lucid, accessible, and respectful of the science and those it hopes to serve.' Baruch Fischhoff, Carnegie Mellon University 'Renowned (and indefatigable!) environmental studies scholar Thomas Dietz has produced yet another field-defining work. Written in lively and accessible language, Decisions for Sustainability demonstrates how important deliberation and democracy are for ensuring a sustainable and equitable future. Dietz's exploration of his own family's experiences with technological and environmental transformations is refreshing and effective for illuminating the sociological imagination – that foundational interplay between the public and the personal. Dietz also pays close attention to the key role of multiple forms of diversity, emphasizing how context, history and power significantly shape our thinking and actions around sustainability. We must improve our decision making practices in order to create a more livable, just, and verdant world, and Decisions for Sustainability is a clear-eyed and insightful guide for supporting that goal.' David N. Pellow, University of California Santa Barbara and author of What is Critical Environmental Justice?

Author Information

Thomas Dietz is a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. His work has shaped understanding of sustainability decision-making, the drivers of environmental change, and the relationship between science and values. He has chaired or served on over twenty national or international science assessments and U.S. National Research Council committees. In 2005 he was co-recipient of the Sustainability Science Award from the Ecological Society of American. Dietz is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has participated in dozens of consensus building efforts on climate, biodiversity, and sustainability.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available