Environmental Pressure Groups Research Articles

A geospatial approach to identifying and mapping areas of relative environmental pressure on ecosystem integrity

The influence of increasing anthropogenic pressure on ecosystem integrity, such as land use change, is resulting in many ecosystems experiencing a decline in their ability to maintain balanced functions and services. Identifying and quantifying these pressures over different scales is challenging and thus impacting the achievement or maintenance of key environmental outcomes. In this study, a GIS-based and scalable tool was developed, the Relative Environmental Pressure (REP) Tool, to address these challenges. The REP tool combines an ecosystem integrity conceptual framework with a weighted linear combination analysis to quantify and rank relative environmental pressure across the scale of interest. The REP Tool was developed as an automated Python-based model in a PyCharm working environment using ArcGIS Pro Arcpy scripting. The REP Tool was applied to spatially contiguous geospatial data for the Province of Alberta, Canada and dynamically scaled relative to Hydrologic Unit Codes at level 8 (HUC8) along with regional and sub-regional scale sub-watersheds. Both cumulative and individual relative pressure levels were calculated and mapped for specific ecosystem integrity framework-derived Environmental Pressure Groups (EPGs) including Atmospheric Alteration, Sedimentation, Habitat Alteration, Hydrologic Alteration, and Social Pressure. Data driven Jenks natural breaks were then applied to classify the relative environmental pressures into a nine-level ranking system. The resulting visualization and data outputs from the REP Tool clearly show that the highest cumulative relative environmental pressure values align with the distribution of major population centres, zones of intense agriculture and major industrial activity. These regions reflect the physiography of Alberta with the Rocky Mountain and Boreal natural regions dominated by low relative environmental pressure. As scales become smaller and more refined, the location of the higher relative environmental pressure levels typically become more subdivided with greater spatial precision where higher pressured areas are located. These patterns are repeated when looking at individual EPGs but with enhanced differentiation of pressure as scales are refined. The framework and geospatial science driven approach behind the REP Tool can be universally applied to support enhanced understanding of relative environmental pressures in, or between regions, as well as informing adaptive environmental resource management and monitoring activities.

Air pollution in Türkiye depending on environmental pressure categories

The aim of this paper to analyse the air pollution in Turkey depending on four environmental pressure categories, namely global warming potential, acidification potential, tropospheric ozone-forming potential and particulate formation potential for the period 1990-2018. The individual air pollutant effect for each environmental pressure group has been examined and discussed. According to the air pollution analysis, global warming potential, acidification potential and particulate formation potential effects are in an upward trend while tropospheric ozone-forming potential effect is in a downward trend for the time period 1990-2018. And the environmental pressure category where the highest increase is realized in all environmental pressure categories is the global warming potential category. This paper provides information on the causes of air pollution and offers policy recommendations for reducing air pollution in Turkey.

The Impact of Coercive Pressures on Sustainability Practices of Small Businesses in South Africa

The study sought to examine the role that coercive isomorphic pressures play in the sustainable development practices by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The survey research approach was utilised in the research through 222 self-administered questionnaires distributed to SME owners and managers. The structural equation modelling (SEM) method was utilised to analyse the data through the Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) method in Amos Version 24 software. Major findings in this study are that coercive isomorphic pressures have a significant impact on all the three dimensions of sustainable development which are economic, environmental and social. The implications are that government, environmental pressure groups and other stakeholders need to take into consideration the coercive pressures such as laws and regulations in pressuring small businesses to enhance sustainability practices. The research contributes by unearthing the extent to which coercive pressures impact the behaviour and practices of SMEs in sustainability practices. The study indicates that eventually small firms are expected to behave the same when it comes to adopting sustainability practices due to coercive isomorphism. The findings of this study further contribute toward understanding the concept of sustainable development in practice and theory.

An International Regulatory Framework for National Employment Policies

Employment-related policies are sensitive by any standard, and they remain basically national despite international labour standards (ILS) being even older than the United Nations. Globalization is changing this situation where countries may have to choose between ‘more’ or ‘better’ jobs. The multilateral framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO) can only have an indirect impact. But Regional Trade Agreements (RTA) and International Investment Agreements (IIA) are emerging as a new way of gradually enhancing the impact of certain labour standards. In addition, unilateral measures both by governments and importers driven by social and environmental consumer preferences and pressure groups increasingly shape the international regulatory framework for national employment policies. Even small, locally operating enterprises risk marginalization and market exclusion by ignoring these developments. The long-term influence of this new ‘network approach’ on employment-related policies, including job location, gender issues, social coherence and migration remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the still flimsy evidence gathered here seems to indicate that this new, international framework might increase sustainable employment where and when supporting measures, including through unilateral preferences and even sanctions, form a ‘cocktail’ which export-oriented industries and their suppliers will find palatable.

The International Regulatory Framework for National Employment Policies: Examples from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, South Africa, Switzerland and Viet Nam

Employment policy is sensitive, and it is basically national even though international labour standards are even older than the United Nations. Globalisation is changing this situation where countries are free to prefer “more” or “better” jobs. The multilateral framework of the World Trade Organization at present can only have an indirect impact. But Regional Trade Agreements and International Investment Agreements are emerging as a new way of gradually enhancing the impact of the core labour standards. Unilateral measures both by governments and importers driven by social and environmental consumer preferences and pressure groups increasingly shape the international regulatory framework for national employment policies which even small, locally operating enterprises cannot fail to take into account without risking marginalisation and market exclusion. The long-term influence of this new multi-pronged action on employment policies and on job location, gender issues and social coherence remains to be seen. Nonetheless, the admittedly flimsy evidence gathered here seems to indicate that this new, international framework might increase sustainable employment where and when supporting measures, including through unilateral preferences and even sanctions, form a “cocktail” which export-oriented economies will find palatable.

Environmental sustainability and pressure groups

This study puts forth the importance of effects of pressure groups on environmental sustainability. A comprehensive literature review has revealed that there are just case studies in theoretical modelling that attempt to analyze the relation between special interest groups and environmental sustainability. When special interest groups act in an organized manner, they turn into pressure groups. For this reason, pressure groups should have a negative impact on environmental sustainability. According to the results of the first empirical analysis in this field, which was based on the data from 127 countries, there is a negative correlation between the level of environmental sustainability and pressure groups. The negative correlation between the pressure groups and environmental sustainability reaches the most significant level in developed countries. Therefore, we can conclude that as the number of pressure groups increases, the level of environmental sustainability decreases. Consequently, the implementation of policies which are created and applied to raise the level of welfare of today’s and future generations depend on developed countries which work without bowing to pressure groups.

‘Deal or No Deal?’: Assessing the UK’s New Green Deal

The UK government has recently implemented the Green Deal, a new pay-as-you-save policy which seeks to fundamentally reform the existing housing stock to make it more energy efficient. Regarded by its proponents as a ‘revolutionary programme to bring our buildings up to date’ (HM Government 2010: 2), generate cash savings for householders, and simultaneously yield environmental benefits by reducing energy consumption, it promises much. However, there have been many critiques of the Green Deal from industry, environmental pressure groups and housing professionals. Moreover there has been very limited take up of Green Deal loans by householders, and those measures which have been installed offer perhaps only minimal improvements in overall energy efficiency. This paper therefore considers the potential generative and productive outcomes of the Green Deal by looking across three related issues: households with low incomes and in fuel poverty; the potential impacts on elements of the housing system; and, the extent of environmental benefits. The paper concludes by suggesting that the instead of being a revolutionary way to improve the energy efficiency of the UK’s domestic building stock, the Green Deal may potentially perpetuate existing social injustice and environmental degradation. The effort should, instead, focus on understanding how energy demand is created in the first place (e.g. desire for larger homes, energy-hungry appliances, heating in every room) through householders’ expectations and changing domestic practices.

The Environmental Issue in Politicians’ Minds: A Case Study in Quebec

This paper presents the preliminary results of a study on the comprehension of the environmental issue by the political elite of Quebec. The study is being led under the direction of Professor Corinne Gendron, Chairholder in social responsibility and sustainable development at Universite du Quebec a Montreal (UQAM). It relies on the analysis of interviews led with 16 provincial deputies and explores the group's social representations of the State, economy and economic growth, businesses, social and environmental issues, pressure groups and sustainable development. The results are compared to those obtained in a previous study on Quebec's economic elite’ social representations of the aforementioned themes, and then used to assess to complete and refine our analysis of the ecological modernization process in Quebec.

The Environmental Pollution Analysis of Aircraft

The Environmental factors cover a wide range of aspects but noise and emissions are the main regulatory issues which affect the design of the aircraft. Both are largely associated with engine design aspects and aircraft flight profiles. With the expected growth in air traffic at the major airports the environmental pressure groups will become more vocal. This paper shows the influence of airworthiness and environmental influences of aircraft. Both noise and emission pollution were discussed. Several methods were given to reduce these environment pollution on the base of the analysis.

Engineered Inorganic Nanoparticles and Cosmetics: Facts, Issues, Knowledge Gaps and Challenges

The cosmetic industry is among the first adaptors of nanotechnology through the use of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) to enhance the performance of their products and meet the customers' needs. Recently, there have been increasing concerns from different societal stakeholders (e.g., governments, environmental activist pressure groups, scientists, general public, etc.) concerning the safety and environmental impact of ENPs used in cosmetics. This review paper seeks to address the twin concerns of the safety of cosmetics and the potential environmental impacts due to the constituent chemicals-the ENPs. The safety aspect is addressed by examining recently published scientific data on the possibility of ENPs penetrating human skin. Data indicates that although particular types of ENPs can penetrate into the skin, until now no penetration has been detected beyond the stratum corneum of the ENPs used in cosmetics. Yet, important lessons can be learned from the more recent studies that identify the characteristics of ENPs penetrating into and permeating through human skin. On the part of the environmental impact, the scientific literature has very limited or none existent specific articles addressing the environmental impacts of ENPs owing to the cosmetic products. Therefore, general ecotoxicological data on risk assessment of ENPs has been applied to ascertain if there are potential environmental impacts from cosmetics. Results include some of the first studies on the qualitative and quantitative risk assessment of ENPs from cosmetics and suggest that further research is required as the knowledge is incomplete to make definitive conclusions as is the case with skin penetration. The authors conclude that the cosmetic industry should be more transparent in its use of nanotechnology in cosmetic products to facilitate realistic risk assessments as well as scientists and pressure groups being accurate in their conclusions on the general applicability of their findings. Transparency in cosmetics needs nanotechnology, but nanotechnology in cosmetics also needs transparency...

Royal Dutch Shell: Company Strategies for Dealing with Environmental Issues

The intricate interplay among environmental pressure groups, oil companies, and governments is revealed from the perspective of the Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell. An examination of three environmental issues demonstrates the company's awareness of such problems and describes its efforts to contain potential damage to the degree permitted by existing technological and economic constraints. The industry view is that government measures should create a level playing field and should be effective and economically feasible. While pressure groups are skilled at calling attention to environmental problems, industry highlights the tradeoffs between different societal aims that are entailed in tackling these problems. Governments are left to fi nd the best ways to weigh conflicting interests.

Environmental Regulation and Interest Group Pressure on Petroleum REfinery Capacity Growth in the US: A Regional Analysis

Between 1986 and 2006 U. S. refinery capacity increased by twelve percent. Over the same time period, U.S. demand for refined petroleum products increased by 29 percent. Many have suggested that this lack of investment, and thus higher petroleum product prices, can be attributed to increased environmental regulation and increased influence from environmental pressure groups. This paper investigates empirically this potential influence on investment in refinery capacity additions/subtractions between 1988 and 2006. While there appears to be some evidence to support the notion that the environmental influence has depressed such investment, this impact appears to be relatively small in magnitude.

Is Responsible Aquaculture Sustainable Aquaculture? WWF and the Eco-Certification of Tilapia

Public awareness of possible environmental impacts of seafood consumption is growing. The seafood industry and environmental pressure groups have begun to certify fish and other aquatic products produced to sustainable standards. Representations of sustainability advanced by both groups in relation to tilapia converge around limited definitions related primarily to technical parameters. Such an approach does not adequately represent the complexity of sustainable aquaculture and may be counterproductive. This is illustrated by a comparing assumptions embedded in the text of the World Wide Fund for Nature's “tilapia aquaculture dialogue” with empirical findings from a study assessing the sustainability of tilapia farming systems in Central Thailand. Building on these findings, representations of sustainable tilapia aquaculture produced by the “tilapia aquaculture dialogue” are criticized, and it is argued that new approaches are required if sustainable aquaculture is to be meaningfully understood and implemented.

Coastal and marine governance in the United Kingdom Editorial

The purpose of this special issue is to consider a number of contemporary issues related to coastal and marine governance in the UK. This is a particularly pertinent geographical question at this time, as coastal and marine spaces are at the forefront of a number of important challenges for the UK, and governance structures are a key influence on how these issues can be tackled (McFadden 2007). The first and most obvious issue is climate change, the impacts of which are likely to be felt at the coast before anywhere else, perhaps through increased flood severity and frequency, increased erosion, and greater land instability. Second, the UK’s coastal spaces are under immense socioeconomic pressure for development and exploitation, for tourism, port infrastructure, residential development, and more recently, for environmental mitigation schemes, managed realignment sites, and compensatory habitat. Third, is the changing pattern of the use of the UK’s marine environment, including a reduction in fishing activity and an expansion of both the offshore renewable energy and cruise tourism sectors. These challenges form the context for the central question of this special issue: how to establish an effective governance framework for the UK’s coastal and marine environment.

Sustainable agriculture: an explanation of a concept.

Close relationships between agriculture and many areas of human activity determine countless interlinkages with global issues of natural environment protection, human population increase, food supply, industry and world trade. This broad context promotes different perceptions of sustainable agriculture by different interest groups. Profitable diversification away from overproduction of basic commodities and satisfaction of environmental pressure groups are major preoccupations in developed countries. Elsewhere the main concerns is to maintain a trend of increasing production: food security with a future dimension. Achieving this depends essentially on protecting the agricultural resource base. Inputs and input substitution are important co-related issues but the core of sustainability is the avoidance of any attrition of the potential for future production; this demands that we guard soil, water sources, grazing lands and gene pools against loss and degradation. Though superficially biophysical or technical in nature, most problems of resource degradation and eroding potential are rooted in economic, social and political issues; few such problems will be solved unless the primacy of these issues is recognized and addressed. Sustainable agriculture will likely remain elusive until governments and other agencies accept it as arising only as the outcome of a synthesis of strategies on population, employment, economic planning, technical research and national investment.

Green and Extreme: Free-Flowing Through Seascape and Sewer

AbstractActivities to do with the coastline and the aquatic environment such as fishing, boating and seaside holidays have been mainstays of the Cornish peninsula for generations. Building on this legacy of marine leisure, this paper explores both the fluidity and materiality of waves, tides and coastal seascapes through a metaphorical framework encompassing symbolic as well as literal issues of pollution and embodiment. It examines Cornwall's distinct surf culture with regard to concerns over the effects of sewage and other malignant discharges on public health and the quality of the seashore environment. Extreme water sports are an increasingly prominent factor in the formulation of Cornish identity. Hence, the paper outlines the ways in which certain environmental pressure groups, charity campaigners and corporate surf companies have become involved in attempts to safeguard the ecological sustainability of coastal leisure pursuits. It does so primarily through ethnographic case studies concerning Surfers Against Sewage, protest-art exhibitions and environmental campaigns. On the surface, the symbolism of fluidity and pollution may appear contradictory. But through an exploration of the materiality of waves, this paper illustrates the dialectical ways in which water and the sea relate to shifting local identities and to creative forms of extreme subversion.

Environmental pressure group strength and air pollution: An empirical analysis

There is an established theoretical and empirical case-study literature arguing that environmental pressure groups have a real impact on pollution levels. Our original contribution to this literature is to provide the first systematic quantitative test of the strength of environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGOs) on air pollution levels. We find that ENGO strength exerts a statistically significant impact on sulfur dioxide, smoke and heavy particulates concentration levels in a cross-country time-series regression analysis. This result holds true both for ordinary least squares and random-effects estimation. It is robust to controlling for the potential endogeneity of ENGO strength with the help of instrumental variables. The effect is also substantively important. Strengthening ENGOs represents an important strategy by which aid donors, foundations, international organizations and other stakeholders can try to achieve lower pollution levels around the world.

Organic salmon farming: risk perceptions, decision heuristics and the absence of environmental accounting

This paper reports on interviews with salmon farmers exploring their decision as to whether to adopt organic production methods. Organic salmon farming has the potential to considerably reduce the social, environmental and economic risks associated with salmon farming. Salmon farming is an industry subjected to intense scrutiny and is highly controversial. The combination of these two factors was expected to reveal the use of environmental accounting in evaluating this potentially difficult, expensive strategic decision, responding to the barrage of public criticism, driven by changing environmental regulations and a potential value shift by key actors. However, interviews revealed that going organic was regarded as a normal agricultural decision, largely based on price forecasts. The shift to organic was relatively easy, unproblematic and not too expensive. The environmental pressure groups campaigns had very little impact on this decision and it was not subjected to systematic accounting evaluation. The interviews described a sector exhibiting many of the characteristics of Beck's Risk Society thesis (1992, 1995, 1996). Decision makers’ risk perception is identified as important for considering what factors are thought to be legitimate/illegitimate and powerful/weak in the decision making process. Unless risks are considered ‘real’ by the decision makers then the associated costs/benefits of doing or not doing something are not going to figure in the decision heuristics, regardless of the nature of their calculation. Environmental accounting could play a part, not necessarily at the individual farm level, but as part of a reflexive process in reconstructing the underlying knowledge of the social, environmental and economic risks of salmon farming as a whole.

Candomblé in pink, green and black. Re-scripting the Afro-Brazilian religious heritage in the public sphere of Salvador, Bahia

The article discusses the dispersion of candomble imagery, practices and aesthetics in the public sphere of Salvador, Bahia. It shows that the spirit possession cult has become a trademark for the Bahian state and a major ‘symbol bank’ for groups as varied as the Bahian gay movement, environmental pressure groups and black activists. As candomble enters ever new circuits of Bahia's representational economy, and finds itself dressed in ever new ideological garments, the classic anthropological construction of candomble as a ‘religion’ and an ‘African universe in Brazil’ no longer manages to capture the wild variety of Gestalten in which candomble makes its public appearance. The case of candomble therefore challenges the boundedness of our anthropological categories of thought.

Intertextuality as mediation: On the analysis of intertextual relations in public discourse

This article analyzes intertextual relations in public discourse as a form of mediation through which claims produced within one domain are taken up in other domains and travel across domains. In the analysis, the concept of 'intertextual chains' is applied to an environmental debate on air pollution risks in the United Kingdom. The chain constructed for analysis includes contributions from science, government, the press, and an environmental pressure group. The chain is examined from two perspectives: What types of textual relations are set up between the four institutions, and what meaning shifts occur along the chain. A highly contested type of meaning, causality, is chosen for detailed analysis. The analysis of relations between the four institutions suggests that there are significant constraints on the textual interaction. For instance, media and pressure group texts are seldom explicitly taken up in texts by the government. The analysis of meaning shifts shows that the expression of causality varies greatly between different genres. For instance, causal claims are systematically strengthened when scientific and government claims are embedded into news reports. The analysis thus supports the assumption that intertextual chains are not a neutral form of mediation, in the sense of acting simply as channels of transmission. The article closes by assessing the usefulness of the notion of intertextual chaining in this type of data.