Suchergebnisse

Examines how and why environmentalism gets onto political agendas. There is some evidence that as society moves away from Thatcherism, it may be willing to pay higher costs to give the environment priority. The environment must lose its distinctiveness as a single issue and become embedded in all others. (SJK)

Looks at the future of the nuclear industry with opinion polls showing that most people remain deeply divided over the merits of nuclear power although the environmental aspects of burning conventional fuels could far outweigh half a dozen Chernobyl scale accidents. Holds that the industry has to rethink its attitudes and policy to make a friendly technology if it is to dominate energy policy. (PFB)

WHILE NEITHER THE TORIES NOR THE LIBERALS PLACE THE ENVIRONMENT VERY HIGH ON THEIR LIST OF POLITICAL PRIORITIES, ENVIRONMENTALISM IS INFLUENCING AND IS BEING INFLUENCED BY THE BRITISH POLITY. THIS ARTICLE CONSIDERS IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE 1990'S INCLUDING THE "WHITE PAPER" EXERCISE ON BRITAIN'S ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY, NOW INTEGRATED INTO THE RIO-INSPIRED SERIES OF "ORANGE PAPER" REPORTS ON THE WIDER SUSTAINABILITY AGENDA; ATTEMPTS TO CREATE INTER-POLICY LINKAGES THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND ECOLOGICAL-ECONOMIC APPRAISAL TECHNIQUES; THE "GREAT TRANSPORT DEBATE" INITIATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION; AND THE GROWTH OF INTEREST AMONG LOCAL GOVERNMENT GENERALLY IN "LOCAL AGENDA 21" AND THE SPREAD OF VOLUNTARISTIC AND ANARCHISTIC DO-IT-YOURSELF COMMUNITY POLITICS THAT OPERATE AT THE "SUB-POLITICAL" LEVEL.

The creation of a new unified pollution inspectorate in England and Wales must be set in the context of a general transition in British pollution control and practice, where the incorporation of more formal procedures is taking place within a tradition of emitter self-policing, client-regulator mutual respect, and regulatory adaptability. Examines the circumstances that led to the formation of the new pollution inspectorate and considers the challenges that it faces. (Abstract amended)

DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE UK IS PROMPT IN DISCHARGING ITS DOCUMENTARY COMMITMENTS WITH REGARD TO AGENDA 21, REAL SIGNS OF LASTING COMMITMENT AND PROGRESS, OR THEIR LACK, CAN ONLY BE SEEN WITH REGARD TO INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE. THERE ARE INSTITUTIONAL MECHANISMS AND TOOLS EMERGING IN MANY POLICY AREAS. THOSE HIGHLIGHTED ARE POLICY INTEGRATION, PERFORMANCE INDICATORS AND MONITORING MECHANISMS, AND ECO-TAXATION. HOWEVER, THESE REPRESENT ONLY THE BEGINNINGS OF THE INSTITUTIONAL ADJUSTMENT NECESSARY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TO BE IMPLEMENTED. IN SHORT, ALTHOUGH IT IS POSSIBLE TO POINT TO MATERIAL CHANGE IN LINE WITH INTERNATIONAL COMMITMENTS, THE CURRENT RESPONSE HAS PRODUCED LITTLE IN THE WAY OF POLICY REALIGNMENT AND NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CULTURES. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THIS IS BECAUSE OF A NUMBER OF REASONS. FIRST, THERE IS NO CLEAR CONSENSUS ON THE DEFINITION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. SECONDLY, ADMINISTRATIVE AND REGULATORY CULTURES ARE OPERATING CONSERVATIVELY AND INCREMENTAL. THIRDLY, MEDDLING WITH THE TAX REGIME, IS PRACTICALLY DIFFICULT AND POLITICALLY CONTENTIOUS. FOURTHLY, THE PATTERN OF RESPONSES IS CURRENTLY LACKING THE COHERENCE THAT EFFECTIVE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP COULD BRING. AND FINALLY, MECHANISMS FOR TRANSPARENCY, ACCOUNTABILITY AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION ARE STILL NOT FORTHCOMING.

Decision-makers often despair at what they regard as fickle and unpredictable public attitudes toward environmental risks. Research has shown, however, that public perceptions of risk are not irrational. Psychologists have developed the so-called 'psychometric paradigm', which indicates that laypeople approach the meaning of 'risk' using a more political framework than that used by experts. This includes factors such as whether or not they have control over their exposure to risk, whether the effect will be immediate or delayed, and whether future generations will be affected. Sociologists have proposed a 'cultural theory of risk', which argues that alternative views about risks are inextricably inter-linked with the ways in which social order is perceived and experienced. Both these theories have been developed and promoted largely within disciplinary boundaries and in isolation from each other. This report argues that both perspectives play important roles in shaping, maintaining, and changing views about risks, and that these two components are inter-related in complex but predictable ways. Thus, the aim of this research was to advance our understanding of risk perceptions by integrating the 'psychometric paradigm' and 'cultural theory' approaches. This paper reports the detailed results from a questionnaire survey (N=201) conducted in Norfolk (UK). Four distinct worldviews were identified, namely: fatalist , or phlegmatic over influence on outcomes; individualistic , or a preference for competitive procedures; hierarchist , or a belief in order and rules to guide decisions; and egalitarian , or an emphasis on fairness through justice. Each of these worldviews was associated with a specific pattern of risk perceptions in a manner which was consistent with cultural theory. Cultural theory, however, was only able to explain 14% at most, of the variance in risk perceptions, whereas the 'psychometric paradigm' explained as much as 50% in some cases. The authors argue that the two methodologies explained importantly different dimensions of risk perceptions, and that deeper insights into the underlying rationales are obtained by using the two approaches in a complementary manner. Thus, the combined methodology provided insights into underlying social issues of trust and accountability which play an important role in shaping risk perceptions. This research suggests that social and political frameworks which influence the way environmental threats are interpreted can be identified and that a consistent theory of reactions to risk can be established.

Continuing economic turbulence has fuelled debates about social and political reform as much as it has stimulated actions and initiatives aimed at a more fundamental transition of dominant economic systems. This paper takes a transition perspective to explore, from a Western European viewpoint, how the economic crisis is actually viewed through a variety of interpretations and responded to through a range of practices. We argue that framing societal phenomena such as the economic crisis