The diversity of our impact: The significance of development, inequality, and intervention in a cross-national assessment of the social causes of environmental degradation.

摘要

This paper considers the human dimensions of environmental change using national-level measures to assess the impact of population growth, social organization, and technological change. Ecological modernization theory, dependency theory, social movement theory and ecofeminism are applied to cross-national measures of deforestation and carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. OLS is used to test for the effects of population growth, development, dependency, political organization, social movement organizations, and inequality.; The findings emphasize the importance of population age structure, an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), sectoral shifts, technological change, environmental NGOs, and political opportunity structure. Adult population size and growth are found to be more significant than child population in determining both deforestation and CO₂ emission. An EKC is found for all measures of environmental degradation, suggesting that degradation increases with the level of development until a certain threshold is reached after which continued development is associated with declining levels and rates of degradation. An urban EKC is found for the rate of deforestation, and the level of CO₂ emissions (per capita and per unit of GDP). Shifts toward a service-oriented economy and higher levels of education contribute to the downward direction of the EKC. Technological change is found to contribute to expanded degradation in the three rate models examined, while higher concentrations of environmental NGOs are associated with lower rates of deforestation and lower levels of CO₂ emissions per unit of GDP. In some instances, the impact of environmental organizations is dependent on the political environment.; This analysis suggests that demographic shifts in less developed countries, economic development, and technological change will result in continued growth in the rate of deforestation, CO₂ emissions per capita, and CO₂ emissions per unit of GDP for some time to come. Although the rates of environment degradation are eventually expected to decline, rates will continue to be positive in the medium-term, resulting in continued loss of forests, and continued growth in CO₂ emissions. Political action and alternative sources of energy offer some hope. Future research should continue to explore the contributions of environmental organization and the role of specific technologies in reducing environmental degradation.