Environment And Society In Ethiopia

Ethiopia is facing environmental and poverty challenges, and urgently needs effective management of its environmental resources. Much of the Ethiopian landscape has been significantly altered and reshaped by centuries of human activities, and three-quarters of the rural population is living on degraded land. Over the past two decades the country has seen rapid economic and population growth and unparalleled land use change. This book explores the challenges of sustaining the resource base while fuelling the economy and providing for a growing population that is greatly dependent on natural resources for income and livelihoods. Adopting a political ecology perspective, this book comprehensively examines human impacts on the environment in Ethiopia, defining the environment both in terms of the quantity and quality of renewable and non-renewable natural resources. With high levels of economic production and consumption also come unintended side effects: waste discharges, emissions of pollutants, and industrial effluents. These pollutants can degrade the quality of water, air, land, and forests as well as harm the health of people, animals, and other living organisms if untreated or disposed of improperly. This book demonstrates how the relationship between society and environment is inherently and delicately interwoven, providing an account of Ethiopia’s current environment and natural resource base and future considerations for environmentally sustainable development.

Social and natural scientists are currently obsessed with globalization, but this has not been matched by an equal interest in the societal consequences of local environmental change. Attention has thus been withdrawn from community and locality and transferred to global processes, with an indifference to the reality of those at the receiving end of the social, economic and political problems that globalization create. Local reality is obscured and conditions are imposed that are often insensitive to or even distort local needs, resource management, and production systems. The case studies presented here illustrate how environmental degradation has contributed to the distortion of local institutions and economies, thus denying local communities the right to live in a productive and healthy environment. The contributors highlight the seriousness of the difficulties involved in conflating national policies and local reality, and imposing global policy instruments on local communities. Understandably, the case studies demonstrate that local communities resist putting their faith in environmental policies and plans imposed on them by global or national institutions that often deprive them of access to and control over their local environment.

The Encyclopedia of Environment and Society brings together multiplying issues, concepts, theories, examples, problems, and policies, with the goal of clearly explicating an emerging way of thinking about people and nature. With more than 1,200 entries written by experts from incredibly diverse fields, this innovative resource is a first step toward diving into the deep pool of emerging knowledge. The five volumes of this Encyclopedia represent more than a catalogue of terms. Rather, they capture the spirit of the moment, a fascinating time when global warming and genetic engineering represent only two of the most obvious examples of socio-environmental issues.

Although it still has a low urban population when compared with the rest of the world, Ethiopia nevertheless has been experiencing one of the most rapid urbanization processes of recent years. This rapid urban growth, however, has not been accompanied by a commensurate increase in basic infrastructure and amenities that are essential for a healthy urban environment. Housing, water supply, sanitation services, drainage, transport networks and health services have not been able to keep pace with the prevailing urban growth rates, resulting in a deterioration of urban living conditions and increasingly serious health problems. of environmental problems in urban areas in Ethiopia and their impact on health. The book points to the economic and political causes that underlie many of the urban problems in the country. This in-depth analysis suggests ways to deal with these problems at community, municipal, and national levels.

The papers are organised in three parts: Access to Land and Agrarian Class Differentiation; Land Transaction; Natural Resource Management, Policy, and Economic Return. Eight papers are presented, including the welcome and opening statements and the confer

Identifying the political and socio-economic forces that feed the cycle of environmental degradation and famine in Ethiopia - forces that are major impediments to sustainable agricultural dvelopments - this study provides a comparison of peasants' views and government policies on key environmental issues such as resettlement, collective farming, population growth, livestock density, and the various approaches to conservation and rehabilitation activities in famine-affected areas.

The sixth edition of Environment and Society continues to connect issues about human societies, ecological systems, and the environment with data and perspectives from different fields. While the text looks at environmental issues from a primarily sociological viewpoint, it is designed for courses in Environmental Sociology and Environmental Issues in departments of Sociology, Environmental Studies, Anthropology, Political Science, and Human Geography. Clearly defined terms and theories help familiarize students from various backgrounds with the topics at hand. Each of the chapters is significantly updated with new data, concepts, and ideas. Chapter Three: Climate Change, Science and Diplomacy, is the most extensively revised with current natural science data and sociological insights. It also details the factors at play in the establishment of the Paris Agreement and its potential to affect global climate change. This edition elevates questions of environmental and climate justice in addressing the human-environment relations and concerns throughout the book. Finally, each chapter contains embedded website links for further discussion or commentary on a topic, concludes with review and reflection questions, and suggests further readings and internet sources.