Suchergebnisse

Sustainable development cannot be achieved solely at the international level. Without the creation of more sustainable livelihoods, it will remain a utopian and elusive goal. Yet given the huge differences in economic development and levels of consumption between North and South, how might this be brought about? Taking the 1992 Rio Summit as its point of departure, Wasted examines what we now need to know, and what we need to do, to live within sustainable limits. One of the key issues is how we use the environment: converting natural resources into human artifices, commodities and services. I

Abstract:
Sociology has taken a 'back seat' in much of the debate, within policy and social science circles, about 'post-carbon' societies, in which our dependence on hydrocarbons is significantly reduced. The low profile of sociology does not reflect a lack of relevance, but rather an inability to follow up on the debates being generated in several congruent areas, including geography, international relations and particularly environmental economics. Sociology has much to contribute to the discussion of societal alternatives, not least in the work being undertaken on utopias and governance. It is suggested that sociologists can enhance the role of the social science disciplines, and that of sociology in particular, by re-engaging in the wider discussions, lending a hermeneutic understanding to the current policy debates about responding to climate change.

Chewing gum is a good example of a commodity whose 'value' is not confined to the sphere of economics. Gum became one of the first products to employ mass advertising and marketing expertise, even in the first decades of the twentieth century. Later chewing gum became associated with all things 'American', and was used as a way of promoting 'American values', in sport, entertainment and even politics. Chewing gum assumed iconic status in the United States at a time when its sourcing and raw material (chicle) was largely unknown (or hidden) in Mexico, the chief supplier. The paper argues that consumption can, and often does, acquire primacy within production/consumption circuits, when its use becomes seen as both necessary and inevitable. Products like chewing gum also point to complex cultural relationships, that can extend beyond national boundaries, and illustrate the way in which political economy is supported by fashion and taste.