Too Threatened: Water and Climate Change

In their proposal for a new paradigm for environmental sociology, Dunlap and Catton (1979) have argued for the necessity of a broader understanding of the interdependence between humans and the biophysical environment of which they are a part. This includes recognition of systems of reciprocity and feedback. Ultimately, ecological processes will impose limits on the constant human quest for growth and consumption. Perhaps ‘water’ provides the most significant test case regarding this proposition as we begin to understand the extent and implications of the processes of global warming and climate change that are underway.