This text brings together researchers on environmental issues from different Nordic and British universities and institutions. The Nordic social science environmental research community has several different approaches and this book focuses on one methodological approach, that of comparative studies. In a European context, especially since the 1995 EU enlargement, broad attention is paid to the environmental policy experiences of the Nordic countries. In this book, different aspects of environmental efforts in these countries are described and analyzed in terms of their political and administrative outfit and policy content. The comparative perspective opens up new aspects to this issue, as it becomes the concern of a broader audience. In order to clarify the content of different environmental issues, the book is structured into comparisons between nations and within nations, starting out with studies on how the environment is perceived and understood. Finally, conclusions are drawn on the state of contemporary developments at the threshold to ecological modernization.