Public services and the environmental crisis

Abstract

A growing scientific consensus exists that, as a direct result of human activity, the ecological systems which support life on earth are threatened with potentially irreparable and catastrophic damage. These developments encompass a range of interrelated issues, such as climate change, pollution and the loss of biodiversity. This chapter outlines this ‘environmental crisis’ from the perspective of a social problem, that is a problem, which is both caused by human societies and that presents fundamental challenges for future patterns of life. Based on a consideration of the nature of the environmental crisis and its key social dimensions and dynamics, this chapter introduces the concept of the Anthropocene and examines the relationship between the environmental crisis and public services. It shows that public services are at the same time affected by and contributing to the environmental crisis. As a result, public services need to adapt to environmental changes but can also contribute to broader strategies of mitigating the environmental crisis.