Customer Reviews

The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Policy

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This book provides an excellent introduction to environmental politics. An overview of environmental philosophy is offered, providing the backdrop for an extensive discussion of the unique hurdles faced by both Green parties and interest groups, and those trying to craft public policy. The author does an excellent job of covering a wide range of topics and provides a useful overview of each, while at the same time offering jumping-off points for interested readers to further pursue individual topics. Highly recommended for students as well as the casual reader.

In an interview given in 2008 U.S. Senate Historian Richard Baker stated that historians largely abandoned study of the U.S. Congress and major political issues in the 1960s. To fill the void political scientists moved in. Unfortunately, their approach has tended to be so fragmented by concern for theory that though they might be highly knowledgeable, their voluminous research and publication has been largely ignored by decisionmakers (Nancy Shulock, 1999).

Carter, like that of many political scientists, discerns and discusses many tendencies and movements, often labelled as "isms". In Part I of his book, designed as text for academic study, he reviews concepts like conservationist movements, modern environmentalism, preservationism, ecologism, new politics, traditional policy paradigm, postmaterialism, environmental justice, green consumerism, precautionary principle, holism, anthropocentrism and non anthropocentrism, moral extensionism, environmental fascism, animal liberationism, classical liberalism, authoritarianism, subsidiarity, etc. Because each concept may have critics or detractors, such analysis can leave nonspecialists' heads spinning and understanding less than before.

As he moves into Part II, however, Carter offers a wealth of hard data and historical developments in environmental politics in an even-handed, objective manner. Tables show the first emergence of green parties in different countries, the number of members of major U.S. and British environmental organizations from 1970 and at ten year or narrower intervals thereafter.
The political influence of formal green parties in various European parliaments is discussed, as are major issues, covenants and movements (like the Kyoto Protocol). I have found no better or more thorough book on this subject.

In short, in my opinion, Carter's book is not only exceptionally useful for a policy scholar like me, but also for informed citizens who want to get a good overview of green politics. Regrettably, as a product of the "academic ghetto" (university text) this book probably has not gotten wide circulation (viz. only one review prior to mine) to the general public. In contrast, "trade" or popular books with strong ideological bias in one direction or another can get hundreds of reader reviews.