This fully updated new edition introduces the core concepts, central thinkers, and major works of the burgeoning field of political ecology.* Explores the key arguments and contemporary explanatory challenges facing the sub-discipline* Provides the first full history of the development of political ecology over the last century and its theoretical underpinnings* Considers the major challenges facing the field now and for the future* Study boxes introduce key figures in the development of the discipline and summarize their most important works* Fully updated to include recent events, such as the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill, as well as both urban and rural examples, from the developed and underdeveloped world (Bookdata)