Hailing from the great state of Michigan, Steve is emotionally tied to the Great Lakes and Canadian sensibilities. His frequent visits as a child and teenager to see his numerous relatives in the wilds of Northern Ontario’s North Channel nurtured Steve’s love of nature.
His interests include organizations, values, and politics, and he becomes most excited when research questions combine these topics with environmental concerns. Over his long career, he pioneered several lines of scholarship in environmental/natural resources sociology and organizational studies. In environmental/natural resources sociology, Steve is best known for his work in four areas: comparative and global environmentalisms, the sociology of international organizations, the sociology of biodiversity conservation, and climate change. Some recent publications include: Lee, Seukyoung, Steven R. Brechin, Brent Hoagland, and Danielle Falzon. Forthcoming 2026, “Climate Financing and Development”, in Dorceta Taylor, editor, SAGE Encyclopedia of Environmental Justice. SAGE; Sie, Amanda, Steven R. Brechin, and Christopher Borick. 2025. “Geoengineering prioritization: a study of a proposed expression of mitigation deterrence.” Climatic Change Springer, vol. 178(11), pages 1-23, November; Brechin, Steven R., and Seungyun Lee, Editors. 2024/25 Routledge Handbook on Climate Change and Society, 2nd Edition. Routledge Publishing, New York; Swanson, J., S.R. Brechin, and J.T. Roberts. 2023. “Sociology of Biodiversity Conservation”. In D. Miller, I. Scales, and M. Mascia, (eds.). Conservation Social Science: Understanding People and the Conservation of Biodiversity. Wiley; Brechin, Steven R and Seungyun Lee. 2023. “Will Democracy Survive Climate Change” Sociological Forum. November 2.: https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12957