Major changes taking place in the global environment are at the centre of a growing research interest today. They are increasingly attracting attention in national and international environmental politics, as well as in current sociological debates. This article examines some of the dimensions involved in these activities. It also looks at the results of a recent study in which the perceptions of Finnish environmental experts were analysed concerning global environmental threats and social resources that are available for devising competent strategies for action. Special attention in the study was given to climate change, which was regarded by the respondents as the most serious global environmental threat today.
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