Rising to the Challenge? The State of the Art and Future Research Directions of Polish Environmental Sociology

• Published in: Polish sociological review Vol. 221; no. 1; pp. 27 - 46
• Main Authors: Tusznio, Joanna, Matczak, Piotr, Rechciński, Marcin, Choryński, Adam, Niedziałkowski, Krzysztof
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Warsaw Polish Sociological Association 2023; Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne; Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne (Polish Sociological Association)
• Subjects: Climate change; Decision making; Environmental economics; Environmental groups; Environmental interactions; Environmental movements; Environmental protection; Environmental sociology; Evaluation research; Impact factors; Literature reviews; Rural communities; Sociology; Sociology of Culture; Sustainable development; Poland; United States > US; Eastern Europe; Europe; Anthropocene; sociology of natural resources; future research; environmental sociology; people and nature
• ISSN: 1231-1413; 2657-4276
• DOI: 10.26412/psr221.02

Environmental sociology has been developing since the 1970s; however, it only recently became institutionalized in Poland with the establishment of a respective section in the Polish Sociological Association. We argue that environmental sociology in Poland and the broader area of Central and Eastern Europe has made an important contribution to international research on relations between humanity and nature in the Anthropocene. This paper presents the current state of the art in Polish environmental sociology and discusses future research questions. Our contribution is based on a literature review and the results of a workshop with Polish environmental sociologists. Future research areas discussed in this paper emerge from the following five main thematic domains: (I) social aspects of nature conservation; (II) environmental groups and movements; (III) sustainable development and the participation of local communities in rural and urban areas; (IV) environmental risks and threats and (V) and energy and society.