Politics and the Environment

The media formula for environmental reporting is to pit an environmentalist against a developer, sit back and watch the sparks fly. But is this really the whole story? In "Politics and the Environment", Elim Papadakis sets out to question a number of myths about green politics. Taking Australian environmentalism as his focus, he demonstrates how a social movement has been able to modify some of the most powerful forces in society. He argues that business and government have been remarkably flexible in coping with demands for change in environmental policy. He claims that their attempts to take on board the green agenda have been more than just token gestures. He also claims that the pursuit of economic growth and political power by business and government does not always mean failure for the environmentalists. Like the Germans Greens, the Australian environmental movement has been seen as a model for other countries. "Politics and the Environment" offers a balanced and comprehensive account of Australian environmentalism, setting it in its historical and comparative context.