Consuming the Environment explores the environmental impacts of consuming everyday products and explains how we can consume more sustainably.
Myra J. Hird is a Full Professor, elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and Queen's National Scholar in the School of Environmental Studies, Queen's University, Canada. Hird is Director of Waste Flows, an interdisciplinary research project focused on waste as a global scientific-technical and socio-ethical issue. Hird has published 11 books and over 90 articles and book chapters on a diversity of topics relating to science studies. Hird's 12th book, written with Hillary Predko, is called Extracting Reconciliation and is published by Routledge Press. Hird represented Canada at the G7 Science Meeting on Plastic Pollution in Paris, France.
List of Contributors. 9
Introduction. 13
Introduction. 13
Consumption, Consumers and Consumerism.. 15
The Uneven Distribution of Consumption and its Consequences. 19
Chapter Summaries. 20
References. 22
Chapter 1: Consuming Land. 24
Summary. 24
Keywords. 24
Introduction. 24
The Hydroelectric Dam's Impact on Juruna/Yudjá Indigenous People Dynamics. 25
Case Study. 26
Examining the Impact of the Hydroelectric Dam Experience and the Proposed Gold Mining Project 27
Conclusions: Deciphering the Nuances of Yudjá Cosmopolitics. 30
Questions for Consideration. 33
Further Readings. 33
References. 33
Chapter 2: Consuming Water. 37
Summary. 37
Keywords. 37
Introduction. 37
Water in Australia. 38
Water Practices and Imaginaries. 40
Agricultural Water 41
Case Study. 43
Mobile Water 43
Urban Water 45
Conclusions: New Water Imaginaries. 45
Questions for Consideration. 46
Further Reading. 46
References. 47
Chapter 3: Consuming Energy. 51
Summary. 51
Keywords. 51
Introduction. 51
The Nature of Energy and its Units of Measurement 52
Energy Consumption in Late Modernity. 53
Understanding Direct and Indirect Energy Consumption. 55
Case Study. 56
Energy Demand and Energy Transitions. 57
Conclusions. 58
Questions for Consideration. 59
Further Reading. 59
References. 60
Chapter 4: Consuming Fossil Fuels. 62
Summary. 62
Keywords. 62
Introduction. 62
Fossil Fuels, The Carbon Cycle and Climate Change. 63
The Industrial Revolution and the Origins of Fossil Capitalism.. 64
Post-War Fossil Capitalism.. 65
Neoliberal Globalization and Expanding Fossil Fuel Consumption. 65
Stalled Decarbonization and Energy Transition. 67
Canadian Fossil Capitalism.. 68
Oil Sands Expansion. 68
Growing Natural Gas. 69
Case Study. 71
Petrochemicals. 71
Conclusions. 72
Questions for Consideration. 73
Further Reading. 73
References. 73
Chapter 5: Consuming Waste. 77
Summary. 77
Keywords. 77
Introduction. 77
Recovering Energy from Waste: New Perspectives from Old Ideas. 78
Waste: A Renewable Energy?. 80
Placing Energy Recovery On the Waste Hierarchy. 81
The Multiple Energy Output of Waste Treatment 83
Waste as Energy: When Waste Becomes Fuel 84
Case Study. 85
Conclusions. 85
Questions for Consideration. 86
Further Readings. 86
References. 87
Chapter 6: Consuming Labour. 89
Chapter 7: Consuming Food. 90
Summary. 90
Keywords. 90
Introduction. 90
Old and New Moral Imperatives. 91
Food Loss and Waste. 92
Case study. 93
Wastefulness of the Capitalist Industrialized Food System.. 94
Re-examining a Food Waste Law in Canada. 95
A Better Response: Guaranteed Liveable Basic Income. 97
Conclusions. 97
Questions for Consideration. 98
Further Reading. 98
References. 98
Chapter 8: Consuming Pets. 102
Summary. 102
Keywords: 102
Introduction. 102
The Environmental Costs of Meat-based Pet Food. 103
The Ethical Costs of Meat-based Pet Food. 105
Alternatives to Slaughter-based Pet Foods. 106
Cultivated Meat 107
Invertebrates. 107
Vegan Pet Food. 108
Case study. 109
Challenges to Moving Away from Meat 110
Conclusions. 111
Questions for Consideration. 111
Further Reading. 112
References. 112
Chapter 9: Consuming Plastics. 114
Summary. 114
Keywords. 114
Introduction. 114
Case study. 115
Plastic Waste and Plastic Pollution. 117
Solutions for a Transition to a Zero-plastic Waste Future. 119
Conclusions. 120
Questions for Consideration. 120
Further Reading. 120
References. 121
Chapter 10: Consuming Electronics. 126
Summary. 126
Keywords. 126
Introduction. 126
Environmental Media and Political Ecology. 127
Three Approaches to Environmental Media Materialities. 128
Resources. 128
Energy. 129
Case Study. 131
Waste. 132
Conclusions: Against the World-Eater 133
Questions for Consideration. 135
Further Reading. 135
References. 135
Chapter 11: Consuming Knowledge. 140
Summary. 140
Keywords. 140
Introduction. 140
The Environmental Consequences of Digital Production. 141
Under What Conditions Do Digital Things Fail?. 142
Distributions of Knowledge. 143
Production Knowledge and the 'Right' to Repair 145
The Right to Repair in a Global Frame. 147
Conclusions. 147
Questions for Consideration. 148
Further Reading. 149
References. 149
Chapter 12: Consuming Fashion. 152
Summary. 152
Keywords. 152
Introduction. 152
Textiles and the Creation of Export Processing Zones. 155
Case study. 156
Textiles and Trade Agreements. 158
Textiles and Economic Development 159
Microfibers and Fast Fashion. 161
Questions for Further Consideration. 162
Further Reading. 162
References. 162
Chapter 13: Consuming Eco/Tourism.. 164
Summary. 164
Keywords. 164
Introduction. 164
Introducing Tourism.. 165
Understanding the Impacts of Tourism.. 166
Over-tourism.. 166
Climate Change. 166
Community Impacts. 167
Cultural Impacts. 168
Tourism of Our Future: Eco-Tourism Towards Destination Regeneration. 168
Aiming to Create Sustainable Livelihoods. 168
Moving From Eco-Tourism towards Regenerative Tourism.. 169
Case study. 170
Conclusions. 171
Further Reading. 172
References. 172
Chapter 14: Consuming Green. 177
Summary. 177
Keywords. 177
Introduction. 177
The Green Consumer 178
Barriers to Green Consumption. 179
Economic Barriers. 180
Informational Barriers. 181
Case study. 181
Psychological Barriers. 182
Sociocultural Barriers. 183
Conclusions. 184
Questions for Consideration. 185
Further Reading. 185
References. 186
Chapter 15: Consuming Preparedness. 190
Summary. 190
Keywords. 190
Introduction. 190
Si vis pacem, para bellum (If You Want Peace, Prepare for War) 190
Case Study. 193
I've Already Been in this Movie. 194
Conclusions. 196
Questions for Consideration. 198
Further Reading. 198
References. 198
Chapter 16: Consuming Less. 203
Summary. 203
Keywords. 203
Introduction. 203
Our Straw House: The Way It Is. 204
The Wood House: Modifying the Status Quo. 205
The Brick House: A New System.. 206
Conclusions. 210
Questions for Consideration. 211
Further Reading. 211
INDEX