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Review
. 2019 Jan-Feb;10(1):e554.
doi: 10.1002/wcc.554. Epub 2018 Sep 9.

Social science perspectives on drivers of and responses to global climate change

Andrew K Jorgenson  1 , Shirley Fiske  2 , Klaus Hubacek  3 , Jia Li  4 , Tom McGovern  5 , Torben Rick  6 , Juliet B Schor  1 , William Solecki  7 , Richard York  8 , Ariela Zycherman  9
Affiliations
Review

Social science perspectives on drivers of and responses to global climate change

Andrew K Jorgenson et al. Wiley Interdiscip Rev Clim Change. 2019 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

This article provides a review of recent anthropological, archeological, geographical, and sociological research on anthropogenic drivers of climate change, with a particular focus on drivers of carbon emissions, mitigation and adaptation. The four disciplines emphasize cultural, economic, geographic, historical, political, and social-structural factors to be important drivers of and responses to climate change. Each of these disciplines has unique perspectives and makes noteworthy contributions to our shared understanding of anthropogenic drivers, but they also complement one another and contribute to integrated, multidisciplinary frameworks. The article begins with discussions of research on temporal dimensions of human drivers of carbon emissions, highlighting interactions between long-term and near-term drivers. Next, descriptions of the disciplines' contributions to the understanding of mitigation and adaptation are provided. It concludes with a summary of key lessons offered by the four disciplines as well as suggestions for future research. This article is categorized under: Climate Economics > Economics and Climate Change.

Keywords: adaptation; anthropology; archeology; climate change; geography; greenhouse gas emissions; mitigation; social science; sociology; sustainability.

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References

FURTHER READING

    1. Jorgenson, A. , & Clark, B. (2016). The temporal stability and developmental differences in the environmental impacts of militarism: The treadmill of destruction and consumption‐based carbon emissions. Sustainability Science, 11, 505–514.
    1. World Bank . (2017). World development indicators Retrieved from http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators

References

    1. Adua, L. , York, R. , & Schuelke‐Leech, B. (2016). The human dimensions of climate change: A micro‐level assessment of views from the ecological modernization, political economy and human ecology perspectives. Social Science Research, 56, 26–43. - PubMed
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    1. Antonio, R. , & Clark, B. (2015). The climate change divide in social theory In Dunlap R. & Brulle R. (Eds.), Climate change and society: Sociological perspectives. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press.
    1. Armstrong, C. G. , Shoemaker, A. C. , McKechnie, I. , Ekblom, A. , Szabó, P. , Lane, P. J. , … Crumley, C. L. (2017). Anthropological contributions to historical ecology: 50 questions, infinite prospects. PLoS ONE, 12(2), e0171883 10.1371/journal.pone.0171883 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bailey, I. , Gouldson, A. , & Newell, P. (2012). Ecological modernisation and the governance of carbon In Newell P., Boykoff M., & Boyd E. (Eds.), The new carbon economy: Constitution, governance and contestation (pp. 85–106). West Sussex, England: Wiley‐Blackwell.

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