Ecological modernisation, American style

David Schlosberg, Sara Rinfret

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

65 Scopus citations

Abstract

The United States lags behind European countries in adopting ecological modernisation policies and practices. Ecological modernisation (EM), as it has been developed in the EU, emphasises industrial efficiency and technological development in order to move beyond the perceived conflict between economic development and environmental quality. Despite early attempts by individuals and groups to promote such ideas in the United States, both governments and industry remained threatened by its discourse while it spread in Europe. More recently, however, the US appears more open to its own form of ecological modernisation, with some unique additions to the discourse. This paper examines this growing and increasingly popular US version of ecological modernisation, which incorporates two concepts generally absent from earlier European conceptions of EM - national security and blatant consumerism. We then turn to the limitations of such a discourse, and conclude with suggestions for how the framing of EM in the US could be broadened and strengthened.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)254-275
Number of pages22
JournalEnvironmental Politics
Volume17
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2008

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Environmental Science (miscellaneous)
  • Sociology and Political Science

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