Position in the World-System and National Emissions of Greenhouse Gases

Abstract

Despite the apparent importance of these dynamics, there is relatively little social science theorization and cross-national research on such global environmental issues. There is especially a paucity of cross-national, quantitative research in sociology that focuses on the social antecedents to environmental outcomes (for exceptions, see Burns et al. 1994, 1995; Kick et al. 1996; Grimes and Roberts 1995). We find this condition surprising given the substantial initial work of environmental sociologists (Dunlap and Catton 1978, 1979; Buttel 1987) and the key role social scientists might in principle play in addressing such worldwide problems (Laska 1993). As a consequence, we propose and assess a perspective on the global and national social causes of one environmental dynamic, the greenhouse effect.