Energy, Society, and Environment

Highly accessible and forward-looking text for student courses on the issues we face around energy, society, and the environment This volume in the celebrated Critical Introductions to Geography series offers a concise introduction to the social, technical, and environmental issues related to the extraction, production, generation, disposal, and use of energy. It provides a well-rounded overview, including perspectives on energy supply and the economic sectors in which energy is used. Energy, Society and Environment utilizes a comprehensive approach from the principles of energy production through to consumption and public policy. An extensive range of examples and illustrations have been designed to bring the subject to life for an international readership. An interdisciplinary analysis of the supply side and of the natural resource and economic sectors in which energy is used from a much-needed social science perspective is also included. In Energy, Society and Environment, readers can expect to learn about: Social and environmental dimensions of energy development and use, across various natural resource geographies and global commodity chains. Different primary energy sources, physical principles underlying power generation and storage, means of transformation, and social and environmental challengesPolitical, economic, cultural, and design considerations, together with the policy dimensions of energy procurement, consumption, and pollution.How the energy issues faced by society today are entangled in deeper social and environmental contextsMultifaceted obstacles to decarbonizing energy use while also meeting goals of sustainability and environmental justice A thought-provoking and accessible textbook, Energy, Society and Environment is a key resource to familiarize students with the range of issues at the intersection of energy, society, and the environment, connecting them to the many areas of expertise needed to solve humanity’s energy challenges.

Dustin Mulvaney is a Professor in the School of Planning, Policy, and Environmental Studies Department at San José State University, founded in 1971 as one of the first programs in the US focused on interdisciplinary environmental issues. His contributions to research across political ecology and science & technology studies include work on environmental justice, solar energy commodity chains, and public lands and energy development. He is the author of Solar Power: Innovation, Sustainability, Environmental Justice, published in 2019.