ABSTRACT
This chapter turns to more political questions within contemporary environmental thinking. For example, what might a future sustainable society look like? Can we derive a specifically green set of institutional arrangements? Who are the agents of green political change? Is there a coherent green political ideology?1 Within green political thought, it is common to find such questions answered with reference to two considerations: first, our ethical relationship with the natural world; and second, the limits placed on development by the finite nature of physical resources and the ability of ecosystems to withstand damage from pollution. However, neither reflection on our relations with the natural world nor scientific arguments concerning the carrying capacity of ecosystems will in themselves generate a comprehensive green political position. To understand the emerging form of contemporary green political thought, it is also necessary to reflect on more traditional values, such as justice, democracy and equality; to engage in a critical dialogue with other political traditions. By analysing the evolving relationship between green politics and the more established traditions of Western political thought, it can be seen that some form of environmental consideration has played a part in the development of most political traditions and that such considerations have at times been utilised to justify green political arrangements ranging from fascist to anarchist.
