Environmental Change and Globalization: Double Exposures

This book explores the connections between two of the most transformative processes of the twenty-first century, namely climate change and globalization. In this book, Leichenko and O'Brien present a conceptual framework for analyzing the interactions between these two processes, and illustrate, through case studies, how these interactions create situations of "double exposure." Drawing upon prominent recent and current climate-related events -- Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, recurring droughts in India, and the melting of Arctic sea ice -- the case studies each demonstrate a different pathway of interaction between globalization and global environmental change. Through exploration of these pathways of double exposure, the book also shows how broader human security concerns including growing inequalities, growing vulnerabilities, and unsustainable rates of development are integrally connected to both processes of global change. The double exposure framework not only sheds light on the challenges raised by these two global processes, but also reveals possibilities for using the interactions to generate positive opportunities for action.

About the Author :
Robin Leichenko is Associate Professor and Graduate Director in the Department of Geography at Rutgers. Leichenko received a Ph.D. in Geography (1997) and an M.A. in Economics (1995) from Penn State University. Leichenko's research explores the social and economic effects of global change processes in cities and regions throughout the world. Leichenko has published numerous scientific articles on globalization and global environmental change. Karen O'Brien is a professor of human geography at the University of Oslo, and Chair of the Global Environmental Change and Human Security (GECHS) project of the IHDP. Her research focuses on climate change vulnerability and adaptation, and implications for human security. She was a lead author on the IPCC Fourth Assessment Working Group II Report on Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability and Adaptation.

Review :
"Every now and then, a book appears that bridges solitudes. Environmental Change and Globalization is such a book, bridging the thinking on two dominant processes of our time, globalization (greater economic, political and cultural integration across nations) and global environmental change (such as climate change). The result is a balanced and insightful analysis with some surprising conclusions." --Fikret Berkes, Professor and Canada Research Chair, Natural Resources Institute, University of Manitoba "This book provides a powerful approach for understanding how global economic and environmental changes intersect to create vulnerabilities, alter opportunities and affect livelihoods and landscapes in different regions of the world. It provides a great framework for understanding the human dimensions of environmental changes such as global warming and for analysing how environmental change intersects with larger structures of economic and political development."--Diana Liverman, Professor and Director, Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University Centre for the Environment "In this timely volume, Leichenko and O'Brien provide a coherent framework for unraveling the complex interactions of the two defining processes of our era: global environmental change and globalization. Through numerous empirical examples, they document the often adverse and inequitable outcomes that emerge through the spatial and temporal interaction of these global drivers. Environmental Change and Globalization is not, however, gloomy reading. Leichenko and O'Brien provide insights on how opportunity emerges from complexity, arguing that from the synergies of global change there may be new avenues for ensuring human security." -Hallie Eakin, Department of Geography, UCSB, author of Weathering Risk in Rural Mexico: Climatic, Institutional, And Economic Change "Global environmental change and globalization are the two most important forces reshaping our world. We have tended to study and understand them separately, giving us very little knowledge of how they fit together. Leichenko and O'Brien offer an important corrective to this tendency. Their book provides a clear and useful framework for thinking about the intersection, with several compelling examples of how the two combine to threaten human security. Environmental Change and Globalization offers a timely warning--that we ignore the linkages and feedbacks between global environmental change and globalization at our peril."-Ken Conca, Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland "There are no doubts that Environmental Change and Globalization: Double Exposures advances our understanding of the inherent links between global process and environmental changes... Their use of rich examples makes the reading enjoyable and accessible for readers of all levels."-Sociological Insight