Book review: Climate change & society

Climate change & society

John Urry / Wiley-Blackwell / Paperback: £15.99 / ISBN: 978–0–7456–5037–1

Climate change will have a devastating impact on the environment, but it will also fundamentally alter many of the institutions and behaviours that are key to modern society.

John Urry, a professor of Sociology at Lancaster University, argues that climate change, which has so far been explored mainly from an economic perspective (such as by the Stern Review), should also been seen through the sociological prism.

While many existing social processes – from political systems and working practices to consumer behaviour – contribute to a high-carbon lifestyle that rests on coal and oil, they also hold the key to a low-carbon future, says Urry.

He explores different future scenarios, including how the depopulation of cities such as Detroit – which he describes as an example of nature reclaiming the “carbon world” – could become the norm in many places around the world unless low-carbon systems are pursued.

A good read.