An IT Sligo academic has co-authored a new book which looks at how countries are facing up to waste management problems across the globe, and the far reaching implications it has for all of the world’s citizens.
Dr. Liam Leonard PhD, M.Phil, BA is lecturer with the School of Humanities at IT Sligo, in Criminology, Sociology and Human Rights. He is also a researcher in the areas of politics, sociology, criminology and environmental justice.
Dr. Leonard has published numerous articles in academic journals and in the media in Ireland, the UK, United States, Netherlands and Germany.
His current book, co-edited with Prof. Christopher Rootes of the University of Kent, is called Environmental Movements and Waste Infrastructure, and it sheds new light on the structures of political opportunity that confront environmental movements which challenge the state or corporate sector.
As rates of consumption grow, the problem of waste management has increased significantly. National and local waste authorities seek to manage such problems through the implementation of state regulation and construction of waste infrastructure, including landfills and incinerators.
A series of case studies on collective action campaigns from the EU, US and Asia are used to illuminate the similarities and differences between anti-incinerator protests within different states.
Several contributions share a concern about cross-border waste flows. Each case study looks beyond its initial local frame of reference, demonstrating the wider linkages and networks established by both grassroots campaigns and state and multinational agencies.
Dr Leonard said: “This book explores the response of communities to the vexed questions posed by the development of infrastructure during periods of accelerated growth across Europe. The recent downturn allows us to reflect on the issues which emerge from such disputes, and the book illustrates the concerns and responses of communities in relation to the wider planning from above. Ultimately, the book highlights the need for proper consultations with communities around infrastructural development in the regions.”
Details on Environmental Movements and Waste Infrastructure are available on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Environmental-Movements-Infrastructure-Christopher-Rootes/dp/0415458692/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_3
Dr Liam Leonard who has co-authored a book called Environmental Movements and Waste Infrastructure.