Climate Cultures in Europe and North America

Book excerpt: Bringing together scholarly research by climate experts working in different locations and social science disciplines, this book offers insights into how climate change is socially and culturally constructed. Whereas existing studies of climate cultural differences are predominantly rooted in a static understanding of culture, cultural globalization theory suggests that new formations emerge dynamically at different social and spatial scales. This volume gathers analyses of climate cultural formations within various spaces and regions in the United States and the European Union. It focuses particularly on the emergence of new social movements and coalitions devoted to fighting climate change on both sides of the Atlantic. Overall, Climate Cultures in Europe and North America provides empirical and theoretical findings that contribute to current debates on globalization, conflict and governance, as well as cultural and social change. This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of climate change, environmental policy and politics, environmental sociology, and cultural studies.