Examining fracking from the perspective of political ecology

Examining fracking from the perspective of political ecology PDF Author: Lee Hooper
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 365650542X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 1, Massey University, New Zealand, language: English, abstract: Throughout the modern era, particularly with the development of new and innovative technologies, conflict has existed between the environment and those who inhabit it. With the advent of highly industrialised technology during the 20th century conflict has been on a steady increase as there are often dialectical processes involved between those creating technological innovations and those who become unwittingly involved in them. One environmental conflict called hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’ as it is commonly referred to, is a profitable industrial practice whereby natural gas is extracted from rock layers in the ground. Fracking is an environmental conflict arising from economic and political marginalisation based primarily on class divisions. This will be demonstrated first through describing fracking and how it is an environmental conflict, by explaining how fracking fits into a political and economic framework, and by finally outlining the cultural component, that is how marginalised socio-economic and ethnic groups are affected by the practice of fracking. Political ecology theory will be applied in order to gain an understanding of the complexities of fracking as this theory focuses on the mutual development of both political and ecological change. It is acknowledged that whilst applying a political ecology perspective is an effective anthropological method, it is also necessary to apply other anthropological theories in order to gain a more holistic analysis.

Examining fracking from the perspective of political ecology

Examining fracking from the perspective of political ecology PDF Author: Lee Hooper
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
ISBN: 365650542X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 14

Get Book Here

Book Description
Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Ethnology / Cultural Anthropology, grade: 1, Massey University, New Zealand, language: English, abstract: Throughout the modern era, particularly with the development of new and innovative technologies, conflict has existed between the environment and those who inhabit it. With the advent of highly industrialised technology during the 20th century conflict has been on a steady increase as there are often dialectical processes involved between those creating technological innovations and those who become unwittingly involved in them. One environmental conflict called hydraulic fracturing, or ‘fracking’ as it is commonly referred to, is a profitable industrial practice whereby natural gas is extracted from rock layers in the ground. Fracking is an environmental conflict arising from economic and political marginalisation based primarily on class divisions. This will be demonstrated first through describing fracking and how it is an environmental conflict, by explaining how fracking fits into a political and economic framework, and by finally outlining the cultural component, that is how marginalised socio-economic and ethnic groups are affected by the practice of fracking. Political ecology theory will be applied in order to gain an understanding of the complexities of fracking as this theory focuses on the mutual development of both political and ecological change. It is acknowledged that whilst applying a political ecology perspective is an effective anthropological method, it is also necessary to apply other anthropological theories in order to gain a more holistic analysis.

Understanding Trust in Government

Understanding Trust in Government PDF Author: Scott E. Robinson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315519518
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
Growing disenfranchisement with political institutions and policy processes has generated interest in trust in government. For the most part, research has focused on trust in government as a general attitude covering all political institutions. In this book, Scott E. Robinson, James W. Stoutenborough, and Arnold Vedlitz argue that individual agencies develop specific reputations that may contrast with the more general attitudes towards government as a whole. Grounded in a treatment of trust as a relationship between two actors and taking the Environmental Protection Agency as their subject, the authors illustrate that the agency’s reputation is explained through general demographic and ideological factors – as well as policy domain factors like environmentalism. The book presents results from two approaches to assessing trust: (1) a traditional attitudinal survey approach, and (2) an experimental approach using the context of hydraulic fracturing. While the traditional attitudinal survey approach provides traditional answers to what drives trust in the EPA, the experimental results reveal that there is little specific trust in the EPA across the United States. Robinson, Stoutenborough, and Vedlitz expertly point the way forward for more reliable assessments of trust, while demonstrating the importance of assessing trust at the agency level. This book represents a much-needed resource for those studying both theory and methods in Public Administration and Public Policy.

A Fractured Society

A Fractured Society PDF Author: Daniel N Kluttz
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 97

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Book Description
This dissertation examines the relationships between law and society when encountering disruptive, risky economic activities. In doing so, it assesses how culture, politics, civil society, and powerful industry interests influence the laws and legal instruments intended to protect or benefit citizens exposed to such activities. My case is the domestic shale-energy boom brought about by “fracking,” which, over the past decade, has revolutionized the US energy economy and sparked controversy for its potentially detrimental effects on local communities and the environment. By examining sociological influences on states’ fracking regulations and revealing inequalities reinforced in individual mineral-rights leasing contracts, I span time and space to analyze the social forces that shape who wins and who loses when fracking comes to an area. The dissertation is organized around three empirical studies. In the first, I draw from theories of social movements, organizations, politics, and markets to examine how social movements, economic industries, and state institutional environments influence the decisions of states to issue new regulations governing fracking or ban it altogether. Analyzing a longitudinal dataset of 34 states at risk of fracking from 2009 to 2016, and consistent with findings from political sociology and social-movement literatures, I find that increased economic security and increased environmental movement organizational capacity in a state boost the likelihood that a state will regulate the fracking industry or even ban fracking entirely. I also find that higher potential profitability (and accordingly, potential environmental risk) for fracking in a state moderates the effects of state government ideology and resource dependence on industry. These findings support my argument that the effects of non-state actors and institutional context on the regulation of disruptive industrial activity in new markets depend, in part, on the extent of potential economic benefits and societal risks posed by the economic activity. In the second empirical chapter, I examine the political, economic, and cultural factors influencing how stringently states regulate fracking. Analyzing state fracking chemical disclosure requirements from 2009 through 2016, I find that a state’s expected chemical disclosure stringency is most positively influenced by how stringently its geographically proximate peer states regulate. Interacting economic hardship with fossil-fuel industry political influence is associated with less stringent regulation. I argue for a field theory-based approach to state-level regulation, which conceives of states as both constitutive of their own regulatory fields and embedded within broader fields, taking similarly situated states into account but susceptible to industry capture during particularly difficult economic times. Finally, in the last empirical chapter, I move from the state to the local level and investigate how social inequalities become reinforced in legal instruments. Specifically, I analyze economic disparities in a ubiquitous but understudied aspect of the fracking boom: mineral-rights lease contracts. Lease contracts represent an alternative, but no less important, way that socio-legal processes determine who stands to gain, and who stands to lose, when fracking comes to town. I analyze a unique proprietary dataset of nearly 90,000 leases in Texas’s Barnett shale. I find that 1) local-community embeddedness yields expected higher payments to mineral-rights owners when compared to those who reside outside of the local community, and 2) people of color, in particular those of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity, receive significantly lower royalty terms when compared to whites, all else equal. The results hold when extended to a national-level analysis. These findings suggest that local ties can open pathways to locally sourced information and confer social capital, which can be beneficial during contract negotiations. They also support sociological theories of how social biases and categories affect economic transactions, resulting in patterned inequalities and discriminatory effects for socially disadvantaged groups. This chapter opens a new empirical domain—subsurface property rights—for socio-legal studies of contracts, and it offers new theoretical directions into how social inequalities become reinforced in legal instruments.

The Shale Dilemma

The Shale Dilemma PDF Author: Shanti Gamper-Rabindran
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
ISBN: 082298301X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
The US shale boom and efforts by other countries to exploit their shale resources could reshape energy and environmental landscapes across the world. But how might those landscapes change? Will countries with significant physical reserves try to exploit them? Will they protect or harm local communities and the global climate? Will the benefits be shared or retained by powerful interests? And how will these decisions be made? The Shale Dilemma brings together experts working at the forefront of shale gas issues on four continents to explain how countries reach their decisions on shale development. Using a common analytical framework, the authors identify both local factors and transnational patterns in the decision-making process. Eight case studies reveal the trade-offs each country makes as it decides whether to pursue, delay, or block development. Those outcomes in turn reflect the nature of a country's political process and the power of interest groups on both sides of the issue. The contributors also ask whether the economic arguments made by the shale industry and its government supporters have overshadowed the concerns of local communities for information on the effects of shale operations, and for tax policies and regulations to ensure broad-based economic development and environmental protection. As an informative and even-handed account, The Shale Dilemma recommends practical steps to help countries reach better, more transparent, and more far-sighted decisions.

Science by the People

Science by the People PDF Author: Aya H. Kimura
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 0813595096
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Longlisted for the Fleck Prize from the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Citizen science—research involving nonprofessionals in the research process—has attracted both strong enthusiasts and detractors. Many environmental professionals, activists, and scholars consider citizen science part of their toolkit for addressing environmental challenges. Critics, however, contend that it represents a corporate takeover of scientific priorities. In this timely book, two sociologists move beyond this binary debate by analyzing the tensions and dilemmas that citizen science projects commonly face. Key lessons are drawn from case studies where citizen scientists have investigated the impact of shale oil and gas, nuclear power, and genetically engineered crops. These studies show that diverse citizen science projects face shared dilemmas relating to austerity pressures, presumed boundaries between science and activism, and difficulties moving between scales of environmental problems. By unpacking the politics of citizen science, this book aims to help people negotiate a complex political landscape and choose paths moving toward social change and environmental sustainability.

The Fracking Debate

The Fracking Debate PDF Author: Daniel Raimi
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231545711
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Over roughly the past decade, oil and gas production in the United States has surged dramatically—thanks largely to technological advances such as high-volume hydraulic fracturing, more commonly known as “fracking.” This rapid increase has generated widespread debate, with proponents touting economic and energy-security benefits and opponents highlighting the environmental and social risks of increased oil and gas production. Despite the heated debate, neither side has a monopoly on the facts. In this book, Daniel Raimi gives a balanced and accessible view of oil and gas development, clearly and thoroughly explaining the key issues surrounding the shale revolution. The Fracking Debate directly addresses the most common questions and concerns associated with fracking: What is fracking? Does fracking pollute the water supply? Will fracking make the United States energy independent? Does fracking cause earthquakes? How is fracking regulated? Is fracking good for the economy? Coupling a deep understanding of the scholarly research with lessons from his travels to every major U.S. oil- and gas-producing region, Raimi highlights stories of the people and communities affected by the shale revolution, for better and for worse. The Fracking Debate provides the evidence and context that have so frequently been missing from the national discussion of the future of oil and gas production, offering readers the tools to make sense of this critical issue.

A Field Philosopher's Guide to Fracking: How One Texas Town Stood Up to Big Oil and Gas

A Field Philosopher's Guide to Fracking: How One Texas Town Stood Up to Big Oil and Gas PDF Author: Adam Briggle
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1631490087
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Winner of the Writers' League of Texas Book Awards Finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize From the front lines of the fracking debate, a “field philosopher” explores one of our most divisive technologies. When philosophy professor Adam Briggle moved to Denton, Texas, he had never heard of fracking. Only five years later he would successfully lead a citizens' initiative to ban hydraulic fracturing in Denton—the first Texas town to challenge the oil and gas industry. On his journey to learn about fracking and its effects, he leaped from the ivory tower into the fray. In beautifully narrated chapters, Briggle brings us to town hall debates and neighborhood meetings where citizens wrestle with issues few fully understand. Is fracking safe? How does it affect the local economy? Why are bakeries prohibited in neighborhoods while gas wells are permitted next to playgrounds? In his quest for answers Briggle meets people like Cathy McMullen. Her neighbors’ cows asphyxiated after drinking fracking fluids, and her orchard was razed to make way for a pipeline. Cathy did not consent to drilling, but those who profited lived far out of harm’s way. Briggle's first instinct was to think about fracking—deeply. Drawing on philosophers from Socrates to Kant, but also on conversations with engineers, legislators, and industry representatives, he develops a simple theory to evaluate fracking: we should give those at risk to harm a stake in the decisions we make, and we should monitor for and correct any problems that arise. Finding this regulatory process short-circuited, with government and industry alike turning a blind eye to symptoms like earthquakes and nosebleeds, Briggle decides to take action. Though our field philosopher is initially out of his element—joining fierce activists like "Texas Sharon," once called the "worst enemy" of the oil and gas industry—his story culminates in an underdog victory for Denton, now nationally recognized as a beacon for citizens' rights at the epicenter of the fracking revolution.

The Quest

The Quest PDF Author: Daniel Yergin
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0143121944
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 834

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Book Description
“A sprawling story richly textured with original material, quirky details and amusing anecdotes . . .” —Wall Street Journal “It is a cause for celebration that Yergin has returned with his perspective on a very different landscape . . . [I]t is impossible to think of a better introduction to the essentials of energy in the 21st century. The Quest is . . . the definitive guide to how we got here.” —The Financial Times This long-awaited successor to Daniel Yergin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning The Prize provides an essential, overarching narrative of global energy, the principal engine of geopolitical and economic change A master storyteller as well as a leading energy expert, Daniel Yergin continues the riveting story begun in his Pulitzer Prize–winning book, The Prize. In The Quest, Yergin shows us how energy is an engine of global political and economic change and conflict, in a story that spans the energies on which our civilization has been built and the new energies that are competing to replace them. The Quest tells the inside stories, tackles the tough questions, and reveals surprising insights about coal, electricity, and natural gas. He explains how climate change became a great issue and leads readers through the rebirth of renewable energies, energy independence, and the return of the electric car. Epic in scope and never more timely, The Quest vividly reveals the decisions, technologies, and individuals that are shaping our future.

Environmental Defenders

Environmental Defenders PDF Author: Mary Menton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000402215
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
This book is about environmental defenders and the violence they face while seeking to protect their land and the environment. Between 2002 and 2019, at least two thousand people were killed in 57 countries for defending their lands and the environment. Recent policy initiatives and media coverage have provided much needed attention to the protection and support of defenders, but there has so far been little scholarly work. This edited volume explains who these defenders are, what threats they face, and what can be done to help support and protect them. Delving deep into the complex relations between and within communities, corporations, and government authorities, the book highlights the diversity of defenders, the collective character of their struggles, the many drivers and forms of violence they are facing, as well as the importance of emotions and gendered dimensions in protests and repression. Drawing on global case studies, it examines the violence taking place around different types of development projects, including fossil fuels, agro-industrial, renewable energy, and infrastructure. The volume also examines the violence surrounding conservation projects, including through militarized wildlife protection and surveillance technologies. The book concludes with a reflection on the perspectives of defenders about the best ways to support and protect them. It contrasts these with the lagging efforts of an international community often promoting economic growth over the lives of defenders. This volume is essential reading for all interested in understanding the challenges faced by environmental defenders and how to help and support them. It will also appeal to students, scholars and practitioners involved in environmental protection, environmental activism, human rights, social movements and development studies.

Social Ecology and Communalism

Social Ecology and Communalism PDF Author: Murray Bookchin
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 128

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Book Description
A collection of essays by the late Murray Bookchin, the acclaimed writer and activist who spent most of his life working towards a better world. The basic premise of social ecology is to re-harmonise the balance between society and nature, to create a rational ecological society - aims that are increasingly vital and increasingly a part of the mainstream political discourse. This collection of essays give an overview and introduction to his ideas.