Die Paradoxie der Ökologie

Modern societies are highly dependent on technologies and technical developments, and ecological issues—which in scientific observation exhibit the hybrid character and inseparability of the natural environment and technological development—have assumed an unprecedented relevance for society as a whole. The central problem of energy security against the backdrop of increasingly scarce resources and the issue of climate change pose major challenges to society. The urgency of these matters underlines the pressing need for social theory to address them. This study provides both a theoretical and empirical discussion of whether and how modern society can cope with ecological challenges and how these questions are or could be debated in society.