This book examines how environmental problems and solutions are intertwined with cultural meanings, power relations and inequality. It highlights the essential role played by environmental sociology in understanding the social dynamics that create opportunities and barriers to sustainability and wellbeing. Exploring key debates such as whether capitalism can ever be sustainable, the book underscores why ecological challenges are also questions of justice and equity. Drawing on a broad range of empirical examples from across the Global North and South, chapters highlight how responses to environmental crises vary across regions and the need for solutions to embrace diverse perspectives. The authors conclude that building sustainable futures requires more than technological fixes or incremental change: it demands social transformation, inclusive governance and critical reflection on the systems driving environmental harm. Linking theory and practical insights, Understanding Environmental Sociology is an essential resource for scholars and students of environmental sociology, environmental governance, and environmental studies more widely. Policymakers and public administrators in sustainable development will similarly benefit from its timely recommendations.