Essay on a set topic - choose one of the below questions as your topic. Indicate which one you have chosen.
- Environmental issues always have an objective component that can be scientifically studied, but they are always also socially constructed. What do we mean by social constructivism and how do the socio-cultural factors in this process play out? You may choose one environmental issue to illustrate your points.
- What is sustainable development and how has this concept been defined, politicized and contested internationally? What would sustainable development mean in real terms?
- What is the 'limits to growth' thesis? Find one environmental problem that is relevant today and discuss how the limits to growth issue gets played out in this area. Which stakeholder advances claims that reflect the 'limit to growth' thesis? Are there ones who deny it, how?
- Describe the main issues in climate change and discuss how it is approached from a conventional materialist standpoint, from a managerial perspective and from a deep ecological point of view. What does each say about the issues and possible ways to resolve them and why?
- Can science and technology help us overcome our current ecological crisis and successfully resolve human-made environmental issues? How so or why not? Please use Ulrich Beck's risk society theory and reflect on the relevance of natural versus 'manufactured' risks.