Ecological Modernisation, Ecological Modernities

Positive aspects of the recent changes have been described by academic observers as evidence of a process of ‘ecological modernisation’ (EM), although their uses of the term vary considerably in scope and meaning. Following discussion of the distinctive uses of EM, this chapter aims to propose a typology for ecological modernisation which emphasises the normative dimensions of the term. In different ways, the types of are presented as contributing to, or constituting, a unilinear path to ecological modernity. EM has been used narrowly to describe technological developments with environmentally beneficial outcomes — such as chlorine-free bleaching of pulp for paper and more fuel-efficient cars. M.A. Hajer predominantly regards EM as a policy discourse which assumed prominence around the time of the European Community’s Third Action Plan for the Environment and, more explicitly still, the 1984 OECD Conference on Environment and Economics.

Biology · Ecological modernization · Geography · Modernization theory · Political science · Sustainable development · Ecology · Environmental Science · Political Economy and Marxism

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