Science in Environmental Conflicts

Ozawa, Connie P.

doi:10.2307/1389309

Cited by 61 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Pielke (2007) has warned that when scientists refrain from being prescriptive, this leaves decision-makers who are dependent on government agencies, corporations or other interest groups, to (mis-)interpret scientific findings regarding their policy implications. Science can offer a powerful way of framing environmental problems, but it can be mobilized as a source of authority by different parties (Hajer 1995, Ozawa 1996.While this may be true, the framing of environmental problems by scientists is not necessarily neutral either, as the discussion of the role of the SB-STTA or IPCC shows. Moreover, given the complexity of the linkages between biodiversity and ecosystem (services), scientific consensus may also be quite hard to arrive at -though this is still the aim of IPBES.…”

Section: Forschung | Research >mentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting the Message Across Biodiversity Science and Policy Interfaces – A Review

Spierenburg¹

2012

GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society

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125espite the involvement of scientists in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the organization of a number of high-profile scientific biodiversity assessments such as the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA), there is still a dominant narrative positing a huge gap between science and policy. Scientists complain that their warnings and urgent calls for action to conserve biodiversity do not seem to be taken seriously, and that scientific knowledge is ignored in the debates about agreements or policies, or "replaced by rhetoric" (Dietz and Stern 1998, p. 441). Some policy-makers indeed may ignore scientific knowledge that does not support their preferred policy options, while others complain they do not know what action to take given the uncertainty of some scientific conclusions. Yet, science is not undisputed either, as last year's public debates on Climategate showed, when scientists participating in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were accused of manipulating data to suit their own policy preferences.Some of the problems with the biodiversity science-policy nexus may stem very well, according to Dietz and Stern (1998) as well as Koetz et al. (2009Koetz et al. ( , 2008, from unreasonable expectations about how and how much science can contribute to wise decision-making. Often a technocratic approach is expected, both by researchers and policy-makers, in which science provides knowledge and information about the impacts of certain choices, and policy-makers use this information to design policies.However, in practice, the policy-making process is far from straightforward. Poli cy-makers have to weigh different socio-economic benefits and costs which are based on the values of biodiversity to society (Dietz and Stern 1998). To complicate matters, some of these valuations are subjective and emotional interpretations -both by policy-makers and their constituents (Bhattacharya et al. 2005). At the international level, trust -or a lack thereof -between states, especially in relation to capacities and the distribu tion of costs and benefits, also plays an important role in decision-making (Jessel 2012, Koetz et al. 2009. Each decision affects biodiversity, and effects take place at and across different scales, rendering both scientific predictions and decision-making complicated. > Getting the Message Across AbstractThis contribution analyses the difficulties of biodiversity policy-making and the role of science. It addresses biodiversity scientists' struggles to communicate the value of biodiversity to policy-makers, and the tensions between producing policyrelevant research and being perceived as too prescriptive.The author argues that it is important for biodiversity scientists to acknowledge and engage with the political aspects of biodiversity policies. A first step is to recognize the diversity of valuations and preferences among various stakeholders of different trade-offs, and the power relations between the stakeholders. A transparent presentation of a broad range of polic...

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Section: Forschung | Research >mentioning

confidence: 99%

Getting the Message Across Biodiversity Science and Policy Interfaces – A Review

Spierenburg¹

2012

GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society

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“…Underlying such conflicts were disagreements between communities and industries, based on perceptions and concerns regarding the undesirable distribution of consequent costs, so that most of the cost often had to be borne by the communities (Ozawa 1996). Furthermore, conflicts arise because of the absence of sound political control and in order to prevent further bad decisions in the future.…”

Section: Air Quality Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, conflicts arise because of the absence of sound political control and in order to prevent further bad decisions in the future. Ozawa (1996) postulates that environmental disputes and conflicts arise not only from residents' perceptions and concerns about potential undesirable consequences of proposed developments and upgrades of industry, but also from a perceived disregard of the legal rights of individuals and groups, which are institutionalised in national legislation. According to Engelbrecht and Van der Walt (2007), responses to the negative impacts of air pollution have often been delayed due to social, political and economic factors.…”

Section: Air Quality Conflictsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental conflicts in the South Durban Basin: Integrating residents’ perceptions and concerns resulting from air pollution

Jaggernath¹

2011

Afr. J. Conflict Res.

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With a complex mix of large scale industries and major transport networks, the South Durban Basin (SDB) residential area has been subjected to a considerable amount of environmental impacts and conflicts. A major concern in the area is the effects of air pollution on human health and ecology that are caused by the emissions of unacceptable levels of toxins, chemical waste and a large content of sulphur dioxide, which are characteristic of industrial processes and activities. Perceptions regarding environmental conflicts in the area were recorded by eliciting residents' concerns. Fieldwork in the form of questionnaires was undertaken. These were administered to 200 households in Merebank and Wentworth in the SDB to determine residents' knowledge, perceptions and concerns about industrial activities and potential impacts. This paper therefore explores residents' perceptions of environmental impacts and highlights the key issues which contribute to community conflicts -including those conflicts related to government, employment, race and community health.

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“…Another reason they are used is that they represent an objective means of informed decisionmaking (Aronson 1984, Ozawa 1996.…”

Section: • Simulation Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The preeminent role of models derives from the ideals of progressive governance and logical positivist empiricism, whereby data are "incontrovertible and unchanging" (Ozawa 1996). These data are assumed generated and analyzed by objective scientists to produce value-neutral information for use by disinterested policy-makers.…”

Section: Objective Sciencementioning

confidence: 99%

The ends of uncertainty: Air quality science and planning in Central California

Fine

2003

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Air quality planning in Central California is complicated and controversial despite millions of dollars invested to improve scientific understanding. This research describes and critiques the use of photochemical air quality simulation modeling studies in planning to attain standards for ground-level ozone in the San Francisco Bay Area and the San Joaquin Valley during the 1990's. Data are gathered through documents and interviews with planners, modelers, and policy-makers at public agencies and with representatives from the regulated and environmental communities. Interactions amongst organizations are diagramed to identify significant nodes of interaction. Dominant policy coalitions are described through narratives distinguished by their uses of and responses to uncertainty, their exposures to risks, and their responses to the principles of conservatism, civil duty, and caution. Policy narratives are delineated using aggregated respondent statements to describe and understand advocacy coalitions.I found thar models impacted the planning process significantly, but were used not purely for their scientific capabilities. Modeling results provided justification for decisions based on other constraints and political considerations. Uncertainties were utilized opportunistically by stakeholders instead of managed explicitly. Ultimately, the process supported the partisan views of those in control of the modeling. Based on these findings, as well as a review of model uncertainty analysis capabilities, I recommend modifying the planning process to allow for the development and incorporation of uncertainty information, while addressing the need for inclusive and meaningful public participation.By documenting an actual air quality planning process these findings provide insights about the potential for using new scientific information and understanding to achieve environmental goals, most notably the analysis of uncertainties in modeling applications. Concurrently, needed uncertainty information is identified and capabilities to produce it are assessed. Practices to facilitate incorporation of uncertainty information are suggested based on research findings, as well as theory from the literatures of the policy sciences, decision sciences, science and technology studies, consensus-based and communicative planning, and modeling.

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Science in Environmental Conflicts

Cited by 61 publications

References 8 publications

Getting the Message Across Biodiversity Science and Policy Interfaces – A Review

Getting the Message Across Biodiversity Science and Policy Interfaces – A Review

Environmental conflicts in the South Durban Basin: Integrating residents’ perceptions and concerns resulting from air pollution

The ends of uncertainty: Air quality science and planning in Central California

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