Environment and Citizenship

'It is hard to speak too highly of this marvellous book. Environment and Citizenship is at once a readable, entertaining, and fully comprehensive introduction to the topic, and a contribution to original scholarship. Enlivened by examples, and leavened with online resources and student activities, this book will be an indispensable companion to anyone teaching or researching in the field.' Professor Andrew Dobson, Keele University, UK, and author of Citizenship and the Environment (2003) 'Cao's effort to chart the emergence of the environmental citizen reaches deep into the historical and conceptual roots of both citizenship and the politics of nature. His sustained effort to grapple with theoretical debates in the field is matched by a rich engagement with the realm of practice, shedding light on the ways that individuals, social movements, governments, and corporations contribute to competing conceptions of environmental citizenship. Spanning diverse perspectives across both social and geographical difference, the text provides a thought-provoking read for students and instructors alike.' Professor Alex Latta, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada, and co-editor (with Hannah Wittman) of Environment and Citizenship in Latin America: Natures, Subjects and Struggles (2012) 'Cao's Environment and Citizenship makes an important contribution in terms of the maturing of the complex debate between green political theory and its concerns and the dynamics and evolution of citizenship. The tripartite focus of the book on theories (Part I), actions (Part II), and representations (Part III) of the relationship/s between environment and citizenship produces some novel, interesting, and provocative ideas. Environment and Citizenship shows how green values and especially global ecological problems such as climate change challenge citizenship, such as its nation-state focus or indeed the automatic and exclusive association of citizenship with human beings. The book is clearly written and makes good use of practical examples and case studies to illustrate normative arguments. Thus it is a perfect textbook, one that deserves to be widely used.' Professor John Barry, Queens University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and author of The Politics of Actually Existing Unsustainability (2012)