Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism

Nick J. Fox; Pam Alldred

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6_3

Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism

Nick J. Fox, Pam Alldred

Nottingham Trent University

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

Though international policy-makers have addressed environmental degradation and climate changes for many years, it is questionable whether current policies are scientifically, socially, politically or economically adequate to resolve the existential climate crisis now facing Earth and its human and non-human inhabitants. This chapter analyses policies as more-than-human assemblages. These assemblages are analysed in terms of their comprehensiveness, measured against the breadth of current scientific and social scientific knowledge of anthropogenic climate change. Two policy positions on climate change are assessed using this methodology: ‘liberal environmentalism’ and ‘green capitalism’. Neither is found to be adequate as a policy to successfully counter the threats to the climate produced by human activity since the industrial revolution. In their stead, the chapter offers a way to develop a scientifically and politically adequate climate change policy, and what this may entail.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice
Editors	Walter Leal Filho, Marina Kovaleva, Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis, Johannes M. Luetz, Fátima Alves, Gustavo J. Nagy, Sidat Yaffa, Desalegn Yayeh Ayal, Jokastah Kalungu
Publisher	Springer, Cham
Chapter	3
Pages	33-49
Number of pages	17
Edition	1st
ISBN (Electronic)	9783031852176
ISBN (Print)	9783031852169, 9783031852190
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6_3
Publication status	Published - 21 Jun 2025

Publication series

Name	Climate Change Management
Publisher	Springer Cham
ISSN (Print)	1610-2002
ISSN (Electronic)	1610-2010

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 13 Climate Action

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10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6_3Licence: Unspecified

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Fox, N. J., & Alldred, P. (2025). Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism. In W. Leal Filho, M. Kovaleva, M. Alzira Pimenta Dinis, J. M. Luetz, F. Alves, G. J. Nagy, S. Yaffa, D. Yayeh Ayal, & J. Kalungu (Eds.), Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice (1st ed., pp. 33-49). (Climate Change Management). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6_3

Fox, Nick J. ; Alldred, Pam. / Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice. editor / Walter Leal Filho ; Marina Kovaleva ; Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis ; Johannes M. Luetz ; Fátima Alves ; Gustavo J. Nagy ; Sidat Yaffa ; Desalegn Yayeh Ayal ; Jokastah Kalungu. 1st. ed. Springer, Cham, 2025. pp. 33-49 (Climate Change Management).

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abstract = "Though international policy-makers have addressed environmental degradation and climate changes for many years, it is questionable whether current policies are scientifically, socially, politically or economically adequate to resolve the existential climate crisis now facing Earth and its human and non-human inhabitants. This chapter analyses policies as more-than-human assemblages. These assemblages are analysed in terms of their comprehensiveness, measured against the breadth of current scientific and social scientific knowledge of anthropogenic climate change. Two policy positions on climate change are assessed using this methodology: {\textquoteleft}liberal environmentalism{\textquoteright} and {\textquoteleft}green capitalism{\textquoteright}. Neither is found to be adequate as a policy to successfully counter the threats to the climate produced by human activity since the industrial revolution. In their stead, the chapter offers a way to develop a scientifically and politically adequate climate change policy, and what this may entail.",

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Fox, NJ & Alldred, P 2025, Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism. in W Leal Filho, M Kovaleva, M Alzira Pimenta Dinis, JM Luetz, F Alves, GJ Nagy, S Yaffa, D Yayeh Ayal & J Kalungu (eds), Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice. 1st edn, Climate Change Management, Springer, Cham, pp. 33-49. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6_3

Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism. / Fox, Nick J.; Alldred, Pam.
Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice. ed. / Walter Leal Filho; Marina Kovaleva; Maria Alzira Pimenta Dinis; Johannes M. Luetz; Fátima Alves; Gustavo J. Nagy; Sidat Yaffa; Desalegn Yayeh Ayal; Jokastah Kalungu. 1st. ed. Springer, Cham, 2025. p. 33-49 (Climate Change Management).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism

AU - Fox, Nick J.

AU - Alldred, Pam

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

PY - 2025/6/21

Y1 - 2025/6/21

N2 - Though international policy-makers have addressed environmental degradation and climate changes for many years, it is questionable whether current policies are scientifically, socially, politically or economically adequate to resolve the existential climate crisis now facing Earth and its human and non-human inhabitants. This chapter analyses policies as more-than-human assemblages. These assemblages are analysed in terms of their comprehensiveness, measured against the breadth of current scientific and social scientific knowledge of anthropogenic climate change. Two policy positions on climate change are assessed using this methodology: ‘liberal environmentalism’ and ‘green capitalism’. Neither is found to be adequate as a policy to successfully counter the threats to the climate produced by human activity since the industrial revolution. In their stead, the chapter offers a way to develop a scientifically and politically adequate climate change policy, and what this may entail.

AB - Though international policy-makers have addressed environmental degradation and climate changes for many years, it is questionable whether current policies are scientifically, socially, politically or economically adequate to resolve the existential climate crisis now facing Earth and its human and non-human inhabitants. This chapter analyses policies as more-than-human assemblages. These assemblages are analysed in terms of their comprehensiveness, measured against the breadth of current scientific and social scientific knowledge of anthropogenic climate change. Two policy positions on climate change are assessed using this methodology: ‘liberal environmentalism’ and ‘green capitalism’. Neither is found to be adequate as a policy to successfully counter the threats to the climate produced by human activity since the industrial revolution. In their stead, the chapter offers a way to develop a scientifically and politically adequate climate change policy, and what this may entail.

KW - Climate change

KW - Green capitalism

KW - Policy assemblage

KW - Posthumanism

KW - Sustainability

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UR - https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6

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DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6_3

M3 - Chapter

AN - SCOPUS:105009213256

SN - 9783031852169

SN - 9783031852190

T3 - Climate Change Management

SP - 33

EP - 49

BT - Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice

A2 - Leal Filho, Walter

A2 - Kovaleva, Marina

A2 - Alzira Pimenta Dinis, Maria

A2 - Luetz, Johannes M.

A2 - Alves, Fátima

A2 - Nagy, Gustavo J.

A2 - Yaffa, Sidat

A2 - Yayeh Ayal, Desalegn

A2 - Kalungu, Jokastah

PB - Springer, Cham

ER -

Fox NJ, Alldred P. Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism. In Leal Filho W, Kovaleva M, Alzira Pimenta Dinis M, Luetz JM, Alves F, Nagy GJ, Yaffa S, Yayeh Ayal D, Kalungu J, editors, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in Practice. 1st ed. Springer, Cham. 2025. p. 33-49. (Climate Change Management). Epub 2025 Jun 20. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-85217-6_3

Is Climate Change Policy Fit for Purpose? Beyond Green Capitalism and Liberal Environmentalism

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