The anthropocene debate and political science

Thomas Hickmann (Editor), Lena Partzsch (Editor), Philipp Pattberg (Editor), Sabine Weiland (Editor)

Research output: Book/ReportAnthology (editor)Researchpeer-review

Abstract

Anthropocene has become an environmental buzzword. It denotes a new geological epoch that is human-dominated. As mounting scientific evidence reveals, humankind has fundamentally altered atmospheric, geological, hydrological, biospheric, and other Earth system processes to an extent that the risk of an irreversible system change emerges. Human societies must therefore change direction and navigate away from critical tipping points in the various ecosystems of our planet. This hypothesis has kicked off a debate not only on the geoscientific definition of the Anthropocene era, but increasingly also in the social sciences. However, the specific contribution of the social sciences disciplines and in particular that of political science still needs to be fully established. This edited volume analyzes, from a political science perspective, the wider social dynamics underlying the ecological and geological changes, as well as their implications for governance and politics in the Anthropocene. The focus is on two questions: (1) What is the contribution of political science to the Anthropocene debate, e.g. in terms of identified problems, answers, and solutions? (2) What are the conceptual and practical implications of the Anthropocene debate for the discipline of political science? Overall, this book contributes to the Anthropocene debate by providing novel theoretical and conceptual accounts of the Anthropocene, engaging with contemporary politics and policy-making in the Anthropocene, and offering a critical reflection on the Anthropocene debate as such. The volume will be of great interest to students and scholars of political science, global environmental politics and governance, and sustainable development.

Original languageEnglish
PublisherTaylor & Francis
Number of pages260
ISBN (Electronic)9781351174114
ISBN (Print)9780815386148
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 selection and editorial matter, Thomas Hickmann, Lena Partzsch, Philipp Pattberg and Sabine Weiland; individual chapters, the contributors.

Subject classification (UKÄ)

  • Other Social Sciences
  • Political Science (excluding Peace and Conflict Studies)

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