Author Description

Many writers either glorify globalization or vilify it, particularly for itsdestructive environmental effects. In this book environmental sociologist Arthur Mol provides a morebalanced understanding of the relationship between globalization and environmental quality. Molbases his arguments on his theory of ecological modernization, which holds that although processesof modernization and globalization often result in environmental degradation, they also canencourage policies and programs designed to arrest degradation and improve environmentalquality.Building on earlier ecological modernization studies that focused on Europe, North America,and East and Southeast Asia, Mol takes here a more global perspective. He also addresses theincreasing roles of nonstate actors, especially international institutions, nongovernmentalorganizations, popular movements, and transnational corporations.After examining the confusioncreated by the failure to distinguish among globalization, global capitalism, and neoliberalism, Molanalyzes both globalization's destructive environmental consequences and its contribution to globalenvironmental reform. Elaborating on the subject of reform, he focuses on three case studies, oneinvolving the economic triad of the European Union, the NAFTA region, and Japan; one involving therelationship between the triad and developing countries; and one involving three developingcountries: Vietnam, the Netherlands Antilles, and Kenya.