Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Building Development Studies for the New Millennium pp 337–359Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

The Relevance of Environmental Research for Development Studies

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Part of the book series: EADI Global Development Series ((EADI))

Abstract

A major motive of Development Studies is to understand the root causes of poverty and its reproduction and how social inequalities emerge and are stabilized. Most research on social inequalities today largely ignores the environmental dimension of changes in human development. Recent environmental research shows that the cumulative environmental impacts of human activity are likely to make the earth uninhabitable for the human species. Future strategies for ensuring human prosperity at global level will thus require considerable investment in research that improves understanding of the social practices, rules and institutions, and power relations that define human use of nature and the dynamics of its transformation. Social environmental research thus offers insights that are crucial for Development Studies in the twenty-first century.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD   159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. A. (2012). Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty. London: Profile Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Altenburg, T., Sagar, A., Schmitz, H., & Xue, L. (Eds.). (2016). Comparing Low Carbon Innovation Paths in Asia and Europe. Science and Public Policy, 43(4), 451–453. https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scv073.

  • Altieri, K., et al. (2015). Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in South Africa. SDSN—IDDRI.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andresen, S. (2015). Effectiveness. In P. H. Pattberg & F. Zelli (Eds.), Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Governance and Politics (pp. 441–447). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bardhan, P., & Dayton-Johnson, J. (2002). Unequal Irrigators: Heterogeneity and Commons Management in Large-Scale Multivariate Research. In E. Ostrom, T. Dietz, N. Dolsak, P. C. Stern, S. Stonich, & E. U. Weber (Eds.), The Drama of the Commons (pp. 87–112). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bebbington, A. (Ed.). (2012). Social Conflict, Economic Development and Extractive Industry: Evidence from South America. Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, S. (2008). Natur| Kultur. Überlegungen zu einer relationalen Anthropologie. Zeitschrift für Volkskunde,104(2), 161–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkes, F., & Folke, C. (Eds.). (1998). Linking Social and Ecological Systems: Management Practices and Social Mechanisms for Building Resilience. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, U., & Poferl, A. (2010). Große Armut, großer Reichtum. Zur Transnationalisierung sozialer Ungleichheit. Frankfurt: Suhrkamp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkhout, F., Leach, M., & Scoones, I. (2003). Shifting Perspectives in Social Environmental Science. In F. Berkhout, M. Leach, & I. Scoones (Eds.), Negotiating Environmental Change: New Perspectives from Social Science (pp. 1–31). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, S. (2012). Legitimacy Problems and Responses in Global Environmental Governance. In P. Dauvergne (Ed.), Handbook of Global Environmental Politics (pp. 147–162). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhaduri, A., Ringler, C., Dombrowsky, I., Mohtar, R., & Scheumann, W. (Eds.). (2017). Sustainability in the Water-Energy-Food-Nexus. Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botkin, D. B. (1990). Discordant Harmonies: A New Ecology for the Twenty-First Century. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Braun, J. v., & Gatzweiler, F. W. (Eds.). (2014). Marginality. Addressing the Nexus of Poverty, Exclusion and Ecology. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan, S., Van Asselt, H., Hale, T., Abbott, K. W., Beisheim, M., Hoffmann, M., et al. (2015). Reinvigorating International Climate Policy: A Comprehensive Framework for Effective Nonstate Action. Global Policy, 6(4), 466–473. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cote, M., & Nightingale, A. J. (2012). Resilience Thinking Meets Social Theory: Situating Social Change in Socio-Ecological Systems (SES) Research. Progress in Human Geography, 36(4), 475–489. https://doi.org/10.1177/0309132511425708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crutzen, P. J. (2002). Geology of Mankind. Nature, 415, 23. https://doi.org/10.1038/415023a.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, H. E. (1991). Steady-State Economics. Washington, DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dietz, K. (2014). Researching Inequalities from a Socio-Ecological Perspective. desiguALdades.net (Working Paper Series, 74). Berlin: desiguALdades.net International Research Network on Interdependent Inequalities in Latin America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Di John, J. (2011). Is There Really a Resource Curse? A Critical Survey of Theory and Evidence. Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organizations, 17(2), 167–184. http://journals.rienner.com/doi/abs/10.5555/1075-2846-17.2.167?code=lrpi-site.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fuss, S., Canadell, J. G., Peters, G. P., Tavoni, M., Andrew, R. M., Ciais, P., et al. (2014). Betting on Negative Emissions. Nature Climate Change, 4(10), 850–853. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galbraith, J. (2013). Treaty Options: Towards a Behavioral Understanding of Treaty Design. Virginia Journal of International Law, 53, 309–364. https://ssrn.com/abstract=2159244. Accessed 20 February 2018.

  • Geels, F. W., Berkhout, F., & Van Vuuren, D. P. (2016). Bridging Analytical Approaches for Low Carbon Transitions. Nature Climate Change, 6, 576–583. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2980.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hein, J., Adiwibowo, S., Dittrich, C., Rosyani, Soetarto, E., & Faust, H. (2015). Rescaling of Access and Property Relations in a Frontier Landscape: Insights from Jambi, Indonesia. The Professional Geographer, 68(3), 380–389. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2015.1089105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holling, C. S. (1973). Resilience and Stability of Ecological Systems. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics, 4(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.es.04.110173.000245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holling, C. S. (1987). Simplifying the Complex: The Paradigms of Ecological Function and Structure. European Journal of Operational Research, 30, 139–146. https://doi.org/10.1016/0377-2217(87)90091-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ICSU (International Council for Science) (Ed.). (2017). A Guide to SDG Interactions: From Science to Implementation. Paris: International Council for Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ifejika Speranza, C., & Scholz, I. (2013). Adaptation to Climate Change: Analysing Capacities in Africa. Regional Environmental Change,13(3), 471–475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10113-013-0467-x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IPCC WG II (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group II). (2014). Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Summary for Policymakers. Geneva: IPCC.

    Google Scholar 

  • IWMI (International Water Management Institute). (2007). Water for Food, Water for Life: A Comprehensive Assess-ment of Water Management in Agriculture. London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, T. (2017). Prosperity Without Growth: Foundations for the Economy of Tomorrow. Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jahn, T. (2013). Wissenschaft für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung braucht eine kritische Orientierung. GAIA – Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 22(1), 29–33. https://doi.org/10.14512/gaia.22.1.9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jasanoff, J., & Wynne, B. (1997). Science and Decision-Making. In S. Rayner & E. Malone (Eds.), Human Choice and Climate Change: An International Assessment (Vol. 1, pp. 1–77). The Societal Framework of Climate Change. Columbus: Battelle Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klinsky, S., Roberts, T., Huq, S., Okereke, C., Newell, P., Dauvergne, P., et al. (2017). Why Equity Is Fundamental in Climate Change Policy Research. Global Environmental Change, 44, 170–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.08.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Latour, B. (1995). Wir sind nie modern gewesen. Berlin: Akademie Verlag. English edition: Latour, B. (1993). We Have Never Been Modern. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leach, M., Scoones, I., & Stirling, A. (2010). Dynamic Sustainabilities: Technology, Environment, Social Justice. London: Earthscan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Leach, M., Rockstrom, J., Raskin, P., Scoones, I., Stirling, A. C., Smith, A., et al. (2012). Transforming Innovation for Sustainability. Ecology and Society, 17(2), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.5751/es-04933-170211.

  • Lenschow, A. (Ed.). (2002). Environmental Policy Integration: Greening Sectoral Policies in Europe. London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenton, T. M., Held, H., Kriegler, E., Hall, J. W., Lucht, W., Rahmstorf, S., Schellnhuber, H. J. (2008). Tipping Elements in Earth’s Climate System. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 105(6), 1786–1793. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0705414105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, W. A. (1954). Economic Development with Unlimited Supplies of Labour. The Manchester School, 22(2), 139–191. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9957.1954.tb00021.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • MA (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). (2005). Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: Current State and Trends. Washington, DC: Island Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Alier, J., & Muradian, R. (2015). Taking Stock: The Keystones of Ecological Economics. In J. Martínez-Alier & R. Muradian (Eds.), Handbook of Ecological Economics (pp. 1–25). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Messner, D., & Weinlich, S. (Eds.). (2016). Global Cooperation and the Human Factor in International Relations. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milanovic, B. (2013). Global Income Inequality in Numbers: in History and Now. Global Policy, 4(2), 198–208. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.12032.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Müller, A., Janetschek, H., & Weigelt, J. (2015). Towards a Governance Heuristic for Sustainable Development. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 15, 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2015.08.007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • New Climate Economy Report. (2014). Better Growth, Better Climate. www.newclimateeconomy.report. Accessed 20 February 2018.

  • Newell, P. (2005). Race, Class and the Global Politics of Environmental Inequality. Global Environmental Politics, 5(3), 70–94. https://doi.org/10.1162/1526380054794835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson, M., Griggs, D., & Visbeck, M. (2016). Mapping the Interactions Between Sustainable Development Goals. Nature, 534(7607), 320–322. https://doi.org/10.1038/534320a.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien, K. L., Eriksen, S., Nygaard, L., & Schjolden, A. (2007). Why Different Interpretations of Vulnerability Matter in Climate Change Discourses. Climate Policy, 7(1), 73–88. https://doi.org/10.3763/cpol.2007.0706.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom, E., Dietz, T., Dolsak, N., Stern, P. C., Stonich, S., & Weber, E. U. (Eds.). (2002). The Drama of the Commons. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, D. W., & Atkinson, G. D. (1993). Capital Theory and the Measurement of Sustainable Development: An Indicator of “Weak” Sustainability. Ecological Economics, 8(2), 103–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/0921-8009(93)90039-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearce, D. W., & Turner, R. K. (1990). Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment. New York: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pokorny, B., Scholz, I., & de Jong, W. (2013). REDD+ for the Poor or the Poor for REDD+? About the Limitations of Environmental Policies in the Amazon and the Potential of Achieving Environmental Goals Through Pro-Poor Policies. Ecology and Society, 18(2). https://doi.org/10.5751/es-05458-180203.

  • Raworth, K. (2017). Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scholz, I. (2014). Qué sabemos sobre desigualdades socio-ecológicas? In R. Göbel, M. Góngora-Mera, & A. Ulloa (Eds.), Desigualdades socioambientales en América Latina (pp. 85–112). Berlin and Bogotá: Iberoamerikanisches Institut Preußischer Kulturbesitz and Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scholz, I. (2017). National Strategies for Sustainable Development Between Rio 1992 and New York 2015. In M. v. Hauff & C. Kuhnke (Eds.), Sustainable Development Policy: A European Perspective (pp. 24–45). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Scoones, I. (2016). The Politics of Sustainability and Development. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 41, 293–319. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-110615-090039.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sen, A. (1999). Development as Freedom. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, A. K., Mullainathan, S., & Shafir, E. (2012). Some Consequences of Having Too Little. Science, 338(6107), 682–685. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1222426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, K., Crutzen, P. J., & McNeill, C. I. (2007). The Anthropocene: Are Humans Now Overwhelming the Great Forces of Nature? Ambio, 36(8), 614–621. https://doi.org/10.1579/0044-7447(2007)36[614:taahno]2.0.co;2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffen, W., et al. (2015). Planetary Boundaries: Guiding Human Development on a Changing Planet. Science, 347(6223), 1259855. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1259855.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Dolsak, N., Ostrom, E., & Stonich, S. (2002). Knowledge and Questions After 15 Years of Research. In E. Ostrom, T. Dietz, N. Dolsak, P. C. Stern, S. Stonich, & E. U. Weber (Eds.), The Drama of the Commons (pp. 445–489). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Szasz, A., & Meuser, M. (1997). Environmental Inequalities: Literature Review and Proposals for New Directions in Research and Theory. Current Sociology, 45(3), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/001139297045003006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Therborn, G. (2011). Inequalities and Latin America. From the Enlightenment to the 21st Century (Working Paper No. 1). Berlin: desiguALdades.net Research Network on Interdependent Inequalities in Latin America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tversky, A., & Kahnemann, D. (1992). Advances in Prospect Theory: Cumulative Representation of Uncertainty. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 5(4), 297–323. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00122574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). (2007). Global Environment Outlook GEO–4: Environment for Development. Nairobi: UNEP.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). (2016). Global Material Flows and Resource Productivity. An Assessment Study of the UNEP International Resource Panel. Paris: UNEP.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek, P. M., Mooney, H. A., Lubchenco, J., & Melillo, J. M. (1997). Human Domination of Earth’s Ecosystems. Science, 277, 494–499. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5325.494.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vogler, J., & Jordan, A. (2003). The Environmental Importance of Governance. In F. Berkhout, M. Leach, I. Scoones (Eds.), Negotiating Environmental Change: New Perspectives from Social Science (pp. 137–158). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wackernagel, M., Hanscom, L., & Lin, D. (2017). Making the Sustainable Development Goals Consistent with Sustainability. Frontiers in Energy Research, 5(18), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenrg.2017.00018.

  • WBGU (Wissenschaftlicher Beirat Globale Umweltveränderungen – German Advisory Council on Global Change). (2011). World in Transition: A Social Contract for Sustainability, Flagship Report 2011. Berlin: WBGU.

    Google Scholar 

  • WCED (World Commission of Environment and Development). (1987). Our Common Future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • WDR (World Development Report). (2003). Sustainable Development in a Dynamic World: Transforming Institutions, Growth, and Quality of Life. Washington, DC: World Bank. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/262521468337195361/World-development-report-2003-sustainable-development-in-a-dynamic-world-transforming-institutions-growth-and-quality-of-life. Accessed 20 February 2018.

  • Weitz, N., Strambo, C., Kemp-Benedict, E., Nilsson, M. (2017). Closing the Governance Gaps in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Insights from Integrative Environmental Governance. Global Environmental Change, 45, 165–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.06.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westley, F., Olsson, P., Folke, C., Homer-Dixon, T., Vredenburg, H., Loorbach, D., et al. (2011). Tipping Toward Sustainability. Emerging Pathways of Transformation. Ambio, 40(7), 762–780. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0186-9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (2012). Turn Down the Heat—Why a 4 °C Warmer World Must Be Avoided. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zelli, F., & Van Asselt, H. (2013). The Institutional Fragmentation of Global Environmental Governance: Causes, Consequences, and Responses. Global Environmental Politics, 13(3), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1162/glep_a_00180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. German Development Institute/Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik, Bonn, Germany

    Imme Scholz

Authors
  1. Imme Scholz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Isa Baud

  2. Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Elisabetta Basile

  3. University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland

    Tiina Kontinen

  4. European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes, Bonn, Germany

    Susanne von Itter

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Scholz, I. (2019). The Relevance of Environmental Research for Development Studies. In: Baud, I., Basile, E., Kontinen, T., von Itter, S. (eds) Building Development Studies for the New Millennium. EADI Global Development Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-04052-9_15

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation