Robin Leichenko & Karen O’Brien 
Climate and Society 
Transforming the Future

This bold and passionate textbook has become a go-to introduction to current and emerging thinking on the social dimensions of climate change, presenting key concepts and frameworks for understanding the multifaceted connections between climate and society.

Using clear language and powerful examples, Robin Leichenko and Karen O’Brien explore the varied social drivers, impacts, and responses to climate change. They highlight the important roles that worldviews, values, and – especially in this updated edition – emotions play in shaping interpretations of climate challenges. They include additional material on climate justice and equity, eco-centric discourses, paradigm shifts, and other topics. Situating climate change within the context of a rapidly changing world, the book demonstrates how dynamic political, economic, and environmental contexts amplify risks, often unequally for different groups based on race, gender, wealth, and location. Yet these shifting conditions also present opportunities for transformative responses: the new edition strengthens its emphasis on individuals’ power to influence systems, structures, and cultures.

With updated references, examples, and data, and expanded pedagogical features, this informative and engaging new edition empowers undergraduates across the social sciences and other disciplines with a broader and deeper understanding of climate change and the potential for equitable and sustainable responses.

Table of Content

1 The Social Challenge of Climate Change
2 Scientific Evidence of Climate Change
3 Climate Change Discourses
4 Worldviews, Beliefs, and Emotions
5 The Social Drivers of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
6 A World of Energy
7 Climate Change Impacts and Vulnerabilities
8 Climate Change as a Security Threat
9 Adapting to Climate Change
10 Transforming the Future
References

About the author

Robin Leichenko is Professor of Geography at Rutgers University.
Karen O’Brien is Professor of Human Geography at the University of Oslo.