There is a good reason why global climate change, atmospheric pollution, deforestation, and the rapid decline of biodiversity are such hotbed issues. Interactions between human society and the environment have never been more complex or more critical to our survival than now. Environment and Society: A Critical Introduction presents readers with a concise overview of the diverse conceptual tools and traditions available for thinking about, explaining, and addressing the crucial environmental challenges we face today. The authors vividly demonstrate how theory can illuminate pressing environmental problems in the world around us by applying the most recent theoretical concepts to a variety of real-world objects from French fries and wolves to bottled water and carbon dioxide. At the same time, they stress the ways that different, and often conflicting, conclusions about environmental issues can be reached, depending on varying perspectives, starting positions, and assumptions. Accessible and insightful, this book provides an essential foundation for shaping our understanding of one of the most important issues of our times.