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Within conservation biology human factors are treated as driving forces of biodiversity loss, yet there are few empirical studies on how human actions affect biodiversity. We developed and tested an interdisciplinary model of biodiversity loss using socioeconomic and ecological data from 107 countries and structural equation modeling techniques. Some portions of the model fit the data well, other parts were less predictive. Counterintuitive results may be a result of the quality and availability of cross‐national data and statistical limitations in testing a model of such complex processes. This model test provides insight into future research needs for examining human impacts on biodiversity. Issues including data quality, temporal and spatial scale, and model refinement are outlined. The results highlight the importance of relations between human social systems and biodiversity and the potential of interdisciplinary research.

Energy is a crucial social variable and has sporadically been of interest to sociologists. Recent world events and trends have revived interest and concern. This review traces key themes and arguments in the sociology of energy and critically evaluates the literature. The discussion is organized into four sections: energetic theories of society, macrosociology of energy, microsociology of energy, and energy policy and other special topics. A concluding section assesses the state of the field and speculates on its future directions.