Abstract
One of the most important hypotheses among American and European environmental sociologists, both theoretically and practically, has been that of “environmental democracy”. Whether or not environmentally conserving societies (sustainable societies) or social change toward them are more compatible with decentralized social institutions and participating democracy has been controversial.
This hypothesis is examined here, following the cases in which renewable energy technology such as wind turbine generators have been promoted and accepted among citizens. In the State of California, with strong pro-environmental public opinions and active environmental movement groups, the wind energy technology was successfully promoted primarily through economic incentives such as favorable taxation policies. The wind energy has been more willingly accepted among the local residents of Denmark, where wind turbines are owned and managed by local co-operative organizations. On the other hand, in Japan's cases. locally initiated renewable energy projects by citizens and municipalities have been often discouraged by national energy policies. The cases of California, Denmark, and Japan suggest that social and institutional changes toward environmentally desirable societies are more successfully achieved in those societies where decentralized decision making among local governments and citizens are guaranteed, and where environmental organizations are more influential.
