(Risk, Consumption & Society) + (Waste & Meaning) + (Justice & Sustainability) + (Systems & Global Inequality)

The Inverted Quarantine

Individuals try to protect themselves from environmental risks instead of relying on systemic solutions

Precautionary Consumption

Buying/using products to avoid perceived risks (e.g., organic food)

Risk Society

From Ulrich Beck — modern society is organized around managing risks created by technology

Pollution/Dirt/Waste = “Matter Out of Place”

From Mary Douglas — waste is defined by context, not inherent properties

Constructing Waste (Instrumental vs. Expressive)

• Instrumental: practical classification (efficiency)

• Expressive: symbolic meaning (identity, values)

Environmental Justice

Fair distribution of environmental benefits and burdens across all groups

Steady State Economics (Herman Daly)

From Herman Daly — economy should maintain stable size within ecological limits

Uneconomic Growth

Growth that causes more harm than benefit (environmentally or socially)

Treadmill of Production

Economic system requires constant growth → increasing environmental degradation

Ecological Modernization

Idea that capitalism can become environmentally sustainable through innovation and policy

Ecological Unequal Exchange

Wealthy countries exploit environmental resources/labor of poorer countries

The Resource Curse

Countries rich in natural resources often experience slower development, corruption, and conflict