Earthly Goods: Environmental Change and Social Justice

Rating:
Summary: Significant Contribution to the discussion
Review: This is a great introduction into the sociopolitical debate over climate change. In particular, it asks the question of how the everyday citizen understands climate change and its impacts. It poses intriguing questions as to how one looks at costs spread across generations and what climate change will mean not now, but decades, even centuries down the road.

There are also chapters which ask wider questions on the role science plays in political decisions. The chapter by Sheila Jasanoff is especially illuminating (and highly readable) on the question of how/why scientists weigh in on debates such as climate change and what implications lie in how all knowledge, not simply scientific knowledge, is understood and valued.

Overall, the collection asks the reader to investigate what the concept of "good for society" means in the debate over climate change. How does one codify "society" itself? National borders? Present Generations? How these questions are addressed have real consequences on our actions towards climate change.