Ecological modernization and the environmental transition of Europe: between national variations and common denominators

Abstract

Environmental policies and politics in the countries of the European Union (EU) have transformed dramatically over the past two decades. Ecological modernization theory has tried to understand and capture the nature of the transformations from the mid-1980s onwards, having a limited number of North-west European nations as its empirical base. This article reviews the development of ecological modernization ideas for analysing such environmental reforms, especially focusing on the tension between national variations reported in empirical research and common denominators claimed by ecological modernization theorists. The article concludes that (i) since the empirical basis on which ecological modernization ideas are founded (environmental reforms in North-west Europe) shows remarkable diversity, we do not have to be too afraid of diversity and other regional 'variations' of ecological modernization ideas; and (ii) there is still sufficient common ground among national variations and sufficient distinction and debate with other schools of thought in the environmental social sciences to speak of one theory.

A critical appraisal of Sustainable Consumption and Production research: The reformist, revolutionary and reconfiguration positions

“…Real-world research is always more complex than stylized positions, because individual authors and theories can change their position throughout their career. For ecological modernization theory, for instance, with regard to which Mol (1999) distinguishes three generations, the first generation seems to fit well in the reformist position, because of its emphasis on technological innovation and market forces. Second-generation (with more emphasis on institutional and cultural dynamics) and, especially, third-generation ecological modernization theories (Spaargaren and Cohen, 2009), which pay more attention to concrete systems and consumption practices, would fit better under the reconfiguration position.…”

“…In the context of earlier ecological modernization debates, for instance, Christoff (1996) distinguished between weak and strong ecological modernization, with the former characterized by an economistic logic and technological solutions, and the latter by an ecological logic and broad changes to institutional and economic structures of society. Other (third-generation) ecological modernization theorists (Mol, 1999) distinguish between ''the dark green romantic dismissal of modernity and the naïve endorsement of marketdriven liberal eco-technotopias'' (Spaargaren and Cohen, 2009: 257). Fuchs and Lorek (2005) further distinguish between weak and strong sustainable consumption with the former characterized by eco-efficiency (e.g.…”

Ecological Modernization as a Basis for Environmental Policy: Current Environmental Discourse and Policy and the Implications on Environmental Supply Chain Management

“…The theory of ecological modernization has tried to capture the nature of the transformations outlined above (Mol, 1999). Ecological modernization proposes that policies for economic development and environmental protection can be combined to synergistic effects, creating a positive-sum game between economy and ecology.…”

Diez tesis sobre el cambio político discontinuo en las políticas públicas medioambientales; Desde los costes de transacción y la complejidad de formulación en el caso de la Política Pesquera Común de la Unión Europea

“…La segunda proposición deriva del ecologismo que según Arthur P. J. Mol (1999) nació en la década de 1980 de la mano de varios sociólogos, principalmente Martin Jänicke y Joseph Huber.…”