THE SOCIAL-MANAGEMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL-CHANGE

While environmental change and policy responses to environmental threa t have attracted considerable attention from government and industry o ver the past decade, conventional approaches have tended to be individ ualistic, naturalistic and government-led in orientation. This article considers a perspective on 'sustainable development' which emphasizes citizen-led initiatives. In particular, the possibilities for 'bridgi ng the gap' between innovation processes and the implementation of tec hnology are discussed. Three European case-studies are presented of a constructive and citizen-led 'social management' of environmental chan ge-urban ecology, wind energy and science shops. Conclusions are then reached about the policy and theoretical significance of these social experiments.