Valuation Languages Research Articles

Social Metabolism, Ecological Distribution Conflicts, and Languages of Valuation

Thirty-five years after the start of the Chipko movement in 1973, twenty years after the death of Chico Mendes in December 1988 in Brazil as the victim of a “tragedy of enclosures,” thirteen years ...

Walking the green carpet to work

The use of private cars with low occupancy is increasingly predominant in workers' transport to industrial estates in Valles Occidental County, within the metropolitan area of Barcelona, Spain. This unsustainable trend is already on the political agenda. However, sound theoretical background and methodologies to assess sustainability in the field of transport to industrial estates are scarce. In order to gain insight that may increase the effectiveness of future policies for sustainability, this paper describes a practical example of the application of Multi-Criteria Analysis to the design of effective and adaptive policies. Based on the analysis of an inventory of policy documents and plans, several policy measures are assessed using NAIADE, in order to establish priorities. This evaluation method considers multiple valuation languages and provides solid arguments to design potentially successful policies for sustainable transport. Suggestions for further improvement of the methodology and of practical applications are made.

Ecological Conflicts and Valuation: Mangroves versus Shrimps in the Late 1990s

Shrimp are harvested in two different ways. They are fished in the sea (sometimes to the cost of turtles) or they are ‘farmed’ in ponds in coastal areas. Such aquaculture is increasing around the world as shrimp become a valuable item of world trade. Mangrove forests are sacrificed for commercial shrimp farming. The author considers the conflict between mangrove conservation and shrimp exports in different countries. Who has title to the mangroves, who wins and who loses in this tragedy of enclosures? Which languages of valuation are used by different actors in order to compare the increase in shrimp exports and the losses in livelihoods and in environmental services? The economic valuation of damages is only one of the possible languages of valuation which are relevant in practice. Who has the power to impose a particular language of valuation?

Mining conflicts, environmental justice, and valuation

In this article some historical and contemporary mining conflicts are described. The international environmental liability of mining corporations is discussed. Comparisons are made with conflicts in the United States and in South Africa which fall under the rubric of the Environmental Justice movement. Such conflicts are fought out in many languages, and the economic valuation of damages is only one of such languages. Who has the power to impose particular languages of valuation? Who rules over the ways and means of simplifying complexity, deciding that some points of view are out of order? Who has power to determine which is the bottom-line in an environmental discussion?