consumption processes can identify institutional pathways and barriers to restructuring an eco-friendly economy.
In addition to analyzing social, cultural, and political efforts that encourage consumers to “go green,” research in
this area can explore the benefits, obstacles, and feasibility of creating more sustainable consumption habits and
lifestyle choices in a consumer society; alternative modes of consumption, sustainability, and lifestyle behaviors
of individuals and eco-friendly communities; the rise of green-marketing and advertising; and the relationship
among environmental, consumer-advocacy, and human rights organizations.^32
Contributions to Advocacy and Action Research: An important issue facing sociologists conducting climate
change research is whether their research will be useful to communities and policymakers seeking to mitigate or
adapt to climate change, and whether such utility should be a high priority in identifying research questions and
designing research programs. Questions of mitigation and adaptation are especially important areas of inquiry
for researchers seeking to increase the broader impacts of their work for various constituencies—the public,
governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), advocacy groups, and activists. Researchers seeking to
make a difference through advocacy or action research should ask: Where are successful programs of mitigation
or adaptation underway—what are their features, how were they implemented, what are their outcomes? Where
are local and national programs underway to forge sustainable communities and change consumption habits—of
individuals, local communities, or national economies? What is the role of “green” marketing in the development
of green technology? Do green products reduce consumption or simply promote a new kind of consumption?
Especially critical areas for sociological research are studies that analyze the ecological restructuring of
economies and efforts to promote environmentally-friendly consumption habits, investigate the community
dynamics for making sustainable places by drawing on ecological models of community studies and refining
models that include geographic and social data gathered from environmentally impacted communities such as
New Orleans, Louisiana, California firestorm communities, Greensburg, Kansas, and other places that have tried
to mitigate and adapt to environmental disasters.^33
Organizations and Networks: Organizational sociology’s strategies for studying the internal structure and
operation of organizations, interactions among organizations, organizational networks and sectors, and
organizational evolution are all applicable to understanding the role of informal and formal organizations,
economic and governmental organizations, and NGOs in climate policy formation, implementation, and
enforcement. Important questions about organizations and networks in climate change mitigation and adaptation
include: What is the organizational landscape of climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts? How are
governments and NGOs moving to “climate proof” their aid projects? What are the links between climate
change campaigns and environmental NGOs, especially humanitarian efforts to include environmental relief
and the competition for financial resources available for environmental projects? What is the role of social
and policy networks within and among states in the global system in shaping and enforcing climate change
mitigation policies? Many of these research questions also are being asked by non-academic researchers.
Academic sociologists need to make their work available to networks of people outside the academy, for example
community organizers, NGOs, government agencies, at-risk communities, and indigenous populations who
also are invested in mitigating and adapting to challenges presented by global climate change. Forging these
relationships provides sociologists with ideas, potential funding, research opportunities, and outlets for their
research.^34
(^32) See Brechin, Dunlap, Fisher, McCright, Norgaard, and Roberts papers in Appendix 3.
(^33) See Broadbent, Canan, Carmin, Entswisle, and Stern papers in Appendix 3.
(^34) See Broadbent, Canan, Carmin, Fisher, Frank, Maldonado, Rosa, Roberts, and Slocum papers in Appendix 3.
Part III: Sociological Approaches to Climate
Change Mitigation and Adaptation