The Politics of Environmental Discourse

Abstract

The book identifies the emergence and increasing political importance of ‘ecological modernization’ as a new language in environmental politics. In this conceptual language, environmental management appears as a ‘positive sum game’. Combining social theory with detailed empirical analysis, the book illustrates the social and political dynamics of ecological modernization through a study of the acid rain controversies in Great Britain and the Netherlands. The book concludes with a reflection on the institutional challenge of environmental politics in the years to come. The book is not only seen as a ‘modern classic’ in the literature on environmental politics but is also renowned for its application of discourse analysis to the study of the policy process.

The politics of African energy development: Ethiopia’s hydro-agricultural state-building strategy and clashing paradigms of water security

“…can be bewildering, as each pursues its own objectives and parties come together on an ad hoc basis to form 'discourse coalitions' which shift through time and space [70]. Boundaries between local, national and international interests and discussions are blurred in the new politics, as they are increasingly co-constitutive of the dynamics at other levels of analysis.…”

Veterinary Students' Views on Animal Patients and Human Clients, Using Q-Methodology

“…The term ''discourse'' is defined here as ''a specific ensemble of ideas, concepts and categorizations that are produced, reproduced and transformed in a particular set of practices and through which meaning is given to physical and social realities.'' 14,a Discourses thus necessarily contain both facts and values: 14,15 moral elements and factual statements are inextricably joined within a discourse. 16 Here, the described discourses of the students on their (anticipated) triangular relationships with animals and their owners must be very broad, because all the opinions of a person relate to one another in some way.…”

“…This means that when someone talks about farm animals, his or her views on intensive animal husbandry are part of the discourse on animals and caretakers. [13][14][15][16][17] Moral issues-how to treat animals, non-therapeutic surgery, lay veterinary care, farm-animal reproduction, the use of growth-enhancing drugs, production or performance, reproduction technology, and so onare indissolubly tied to veterinary students' factual images of animals and their owners. …”

Reflections on the potentials of ecological modernization as a social theory

“…ln this paper 1 will primarily build from Mol and Spaargaren's works because of ali the scholars and researchers in this tradition (at least as far as the literature in English is concerned) they have done the most to articulate a distinctive theoretical argument A second respect in which ecological modernization is employed is as a notion for depicting prevailing discourses of environmental policy. The major figure associated with the political-discursive and social-constructionist perspective on ecological modernization is Maarten Hajer (1995). For Hajer (1995), ecological modernization is not so much a prediction of strong tendencies to industrial-ecological progress as it is a category for describing the dominant discourses of the environmental policy arenas of the advanced countries.…”

“…The major figure associated with the political-discursive and social-constructionist perspective on ecological modernization is Maarten Hajer (1995). For Hajer (1995), ecological modernization is not so much a prediction of strong tendencies to industrial-ecological progress as it is a category for describing the dominant discourses of the environmental policy arenas of the advanced countries. ln addition to Hajer's constructionism being in stark contrast to the objectivism of the core literature in ecological modernization, Hajer's view is that ecological-modernizationist environmental-political discourse may even serve to dilute the political impulse for environmental reforms by obscuring the degree to which economie expansion, growth of consumption, and capital-intensive technological change compromise the ability of states to ensure a quality environment Thus, for many observers (including sorne in the core tradition of ecological modernization) Hajer's social-constructionist work is often thought of as lying outside of -or even being hostile to or incompatible with -the ecological modernization perspective perse.…”