Block 3: Sustainability, Society and Environment II Flashcards
(21 cards)
1
Q
Why is the environment politically important?
A
- social and environmental problems often linked to political and economic conditions (water pollution, famines)
- environmental problems are often the outcome of political decisions… and environmental degradation can undermine social cohesion
2
Q
Why are New Social Movements (NSMs) emerging?
A
- clear that greater involvement of civil society is needed in politics to solve environmental problems
- shift from government to governance
- international politics are currently failing to address ecological crisis
3
Q
Governance
A
- coordination of new forms of social cooperation
- involves citizen participation as a decision-making tool
- more ‘horizontal activities’ between the state, other organizations, private enterprises, and individuals
4
Q
NSMs
A
- informal social networks of supporters who share certain views
- NSMs challenge conventional social and political structures, strive for more civil society participation
5
Q
What is ‘new’ about NSMs?
A
- focus on post-materialistic issues (rights for certain groups, environmental or quality of life issues, etc)
- more dynamic in organization (informal)
6
Q
Effectiveness of NSMs
A
- lifespan can be limited
- different description of four stages
7
Q
Stages of Social Movements
A
- emerge
- coalesce
- bureaucratize
- success OR failure OR cooptation OR repression OR go mainstream
- decline
8
Q
Why environmentalism now?
A
- response to growing environmental destruction
- perceptions of increased risks
- emergence of moral entrepreneurs
- availability of key resources… mobilization
- rise in post-materialism and lifestyle politics
- response to neo-corporatism
9
Q
Green Political Thinking
A
- combines environmental ethics and limits to growth
- tries to ‘green’ political strategies
- transition from environmental movement to Green parties in over 100 countries
- move beyond the left-right distinction
- ecologism and a new ideology
10
Q
foundations of Green Political Thinking
A
- counteracting unlimited economic growth and environmental destruction
- debates about nature of political solutions to ‘Tragedy of the Commons’
- cooperation and institutions to avoid tragedy of the commons
- Garatt Hardin, Elinor Ostrom
11
Q
Global Greens Charter: 6 key principles
A
- ecological wisdom (respect for all forms of life)
- social justice (equitable distribution of resources)
- participatory democracy (all can express their views and participate in important decisions)
- nonviolence (promoting peace)
- sustainability
- respect for diversity
12
Q
EU Environmental Policy
A
- supranational approach, focusing on environmental policy and implementation
- technocratic/eco-modernist approaches
- regulations and directives
- lowest common denominator
13
Q
‘The Blame Game’
A
- Flynn (2007)
- Ireland has had lackluster environmental performance
- has become worse consistently
14
Q
History of Environmental Movement in Ireland
A
- late 1970s: Carnsore Point anti-nuclear protest
- 1989: Roger Garland is first Green T.D.
- 1993: EPA established
- 2006: Irish Environmental Forum established
- 2007-2011: Greens in government
- 2020: Greens return to government (12 TDs)
15
Q
Why are some environmental movements successful and others not?
A
- relationship between state and movement is an important factor
- cross-national differences is linked to the type of state
16
Q
Scientific knowledge
A
- dominant way of knowing in modern societies, with an emphasis on easily transferable knowledge detached from context (lessening importance of LOCAL expertise and tacit knowledge)
17
Q
Corrib Gas Dispute (2000-2018)
A
-controversial development project, with multinational corporations (main one = Shell) showing interest in Corrib Gas field
- state facilitates “development” and is responsible for law enforcement
- local community is divided into those who support the project and those who oppose
- EU has key policy influence
18
Q
Key Issues of Corrib Gas Dispute
A
- health and safety risks to local community, especially through routing a pipeline with unrefined gas close to people’s homes
- ‘great gas giveaway’, corrupt politicians
- but… leads to more jobs and development?
19
Q
Vertical vs horizontal disputes
A
- vertical: local citizens and governmental/corporate experts reach opposing conclusions
- horizontal: occur within a community between competing citizens’ groups with divergent knowledge claims
20
Q
Local knowledge and sense of place
A
- sense of place and its people was threatened during dispute
- dismissing this case as NIMBY discredits the local community’s opposition
- clashing visions of ‘the good society’
21
Q
Citizen engagement and participation
A
- consultation, participation, and involvement
- actively engaging citizens in decision can hopefully prevent/resolve later disputes over environmental issues
