This book argues that environmental problems are, first and foremost, political and, therefore, about power. Using a framework of political economy and political ecology, the authors deconstruct current environmental problems to identify root causes and address those problems through mobilization of collective action and social power. The second edition also offers: •Updated examples and stories of political struggles and the actors involved •Explicit attention to various forms of power in environmental politics, including structural and social power •Local politics and collective action as related to global environmental politics •Discussion of emerging issues such as synthetic biology; commodification and financialization of nature, including carbon markets; and geoengineering

"[THe authors] explore the underpinnings of contemporary environmental problems by adopting a framework of political economy and political ecology. They conclude that the world’s environmental problems are essentially political and therefore can only be understood through a focus on political power. They bemoan the capture of environmental discourse by neoclassical economists. They claim that the discussion of environmental issues is rarely seen as a matter of ethics, but instead as a problem in economics." - CHOICE