Social Movements, Law, and Society - The Institutionalization of the Environmental Movement.
Social Movements, Law, and Society: The Institutionalization of the Environmental Movement Cary Coglianese Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government 79 John F. Kennedy Street Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 [email protected] Copyright (c) 2001 by Cary Coglianese. All rights reserved. Forthcoming in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Social Movements, Law, and Society: The Institutionalization of the Environmental Movement Cary Coglianese* Social change lies at the heart of the definition of a social movement. A social movement is a broad set of sustained organizational efforts to change the structure of society or the distribution of society's resources.1 Within social movements, law reformers typically view law as a resource or strategy to achieve desired social change.2 Since social change is the purpose of a social movement, law reform generally is taken to provide a means of realizing that goal.3 According to this conventional view, social movements, law reform, and society interact in a simple, unidirectional fashion. Social movement organizations seek to secure law reform; in turn, changes in the law bring about changes in society. While this conventional conception dominates much research and can be helpful for the purpose of analyzing the direct effects of social movement law reform,4 it misses several important
The current system of environmental governance is a diffuse process, spread through many different treaty bodies and other U.N. institutions. At present UNEP, is the primary environmental organ in the system.
INTRODUCTION When the United Nations was founded in 1945, environmental issues were not yet on most national agendas, let alone on the international agenda. As a consequence, the U.N. Charter does not even mention the word "environment". In the years since, environmental degradation has emerged as a pressing international concern. Wind currents, rain patterns, rivers, and streams carry pollutants hundreds or even thousands of miles from their sources, violating national borders with impunity. On an even larger scale, the global environmental problems of ozone depletion, climate change, deforestation, and the loss of the Earth's biological diversity threaten all nations.1 Furthermore, recent research identifies population growth and natural resource scarcity as important factors in exacerbating social tensions and provoking conflict in many corners of the globe. As the problems have worsened, environmental issues have gradually moved onto the international political agenda. To date, governments have adopted more than 170 environmental treaties concerning subjects of shared concern: acid rain contamination, ocean pollution, endangered species depletion, hazardous waste exportation, and Antarctica preservation. More than two-thirds of these agreements have been reached since the landmark 1972 U.N. Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm. This conference created the
How should the radioactive waste from nuclear power plants be disposed of? Why has the nuclear industry failed to find an acceptable solution to the problem of nuclear waster disposal?
How should the radioactive waste from nuclear power plants be disposed of? Why has the nuclear industry failed to find an acceptable solution to the problem of nuclear waster disposal? I. INTRODUCTION Nuclear power is an important source of energy in many countries, even as the commissioning of new power reactors has slowed in recent years. More than 30 countries use nuclear power to meet approximately 16% of global energy needs, with the nuclear power component of total energy ranging from 76% in France (according to the International Atomic Energy Agency) to 1.4% in Brazil. In the U.S., approximately 20% of the electricity is generated from nuclear power.There are more than 400 nuclear power plants around the world, with more than 100 in the United States. However, additional nuclear power reactors are not currently being commissioned and have not been commissioned in the recent past. This is due to the issue of nuclear waste management that has become an increasingly major factor in the future and present use of nuclear power plants. The plants use either light water reactors or boiling water reactors and produce the greatest amounts of nuclear waste measured in curies /year. This waste is potentially hazardous to those who get exposed to it therefore it must be safely disposed of. In the US the Department of Energy (DOE) has been mandated by law to conduct research on
Greenback Bank: Environmental Policy Analysis. Greenback Bank: Environmental Policy Analysis
Greenback Bank: Environmental Policy Analysis Within corporations, nearly 1.5 pounds of paper are used per person per day.1 Based on a typical Fortune 500 company with 10,000 employees and a 255 workday year, this equates to over 3,825,000 pounds of paper per year. Our company, Greenback Bank, headquartered in Dallas, TX, has developed a progressive environmental policy to address this issue and many others. Greenback Bank has approximately 350 branches nationwide and it employs over 11,000 people. Greenback is a publicly traded company and is classified as a Fortune 500 company based on its revenues. Over the past five years, Greenback's financial performance has continued to increase. As a result of the recovering economy, Greenback has decided to implement a growth strategy to expand its branch network. This expansion has created a significant need to develop and implement an environmental policy. ENVIRONMENTAL MISSION STATEMENT We have benefited from the communities we serve and with our continued growth we want to ensure the customers, families, and entire communities that they will be served by an institution that is actively taking steps to be an environmentally friendly company. ENVIRONMENTAL VISION * Utilize energy efficient technologies and implement environmentally friendly designs for all new construction * Maximize the use of recycled materials and
Implementation of national adaptation programs of action in order to provide immediate and urgent support to start adapting to current and projected adverse effects of climate change in Bangladesh.
PROJECT TITLE: Implementation of national adaptation programs of action in order to provide immediate and urgent support to start adapting to current and projected adverse effects of climate change in Bangladesh. ESTIMATED TOTAL BUDGET: US$ 250,000 ESTIMATED STARTING DATE: January 2008 DURATION: 18 months . Background of the Project: Bangladesh is a country situated on the northeastern side of South Asia bounded by India on the west and the north, by India and Myanmar on the east and by the Bay of Bengal on the South (see Map). Numerous rivers, small channels and backwaters intersect the country's plain lands. Much of the present plain was originally an estuary, which was filled up by the combined drainage system of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers (total length of drainage channel is estimated at more than 200,000 kms). These rivers continuously enrich the alluvial soil of the plains with heavy silt deposits. Thus, the rivers are of utmost importance in developing the country's vast flat alluvial land and in directly and indirectly influencing the economic activities through their impact on agriculture. The country has a typical monsoon climate as the monsoon wind, to a large extent, determines the country's rainfall and temperature. There are 3 distinct seasons: winter (November to February), which is relatively cool, sunny and dry; summer (March to
Flooding- A Global Perspective
Flooding- A Global
Dioxin contamination, Times beach, Missouri, USA.
Letort Vanessa Student Number: 2029474 Module Number: HEV 3211 Purchase Diane PORTFOLIO ASSIGNMENT CASE STUDY: DIOXIN CONTAMINATION, TIMES BEACH, MISSOURI, USA. Dioxin is a general term that describes a group of hundreds of chemicals that are highly persistent in the environment. Dioxins and furans are some of the most toxic chemicals known to science (Porteous, 2000). The most toxic compound is 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin or TCDD. The toxicity of other dioxins and chemicals like PCBs that act like dioxin are measured in relation to TCDD. Dioxin was the primary toxic component of Agent Orange. Dioxin is formed as an unintentional by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine such as waste incineration, chemical and pesticide manufacturing and pulp and paper bleaching. Dioxin is formed by burning chlorine-based chemical compounds with hydrocarbons. The major source of dioxin in the environment comes from waste-burning incinerators of various sorts and also from backyard burn-barrels. Dioxin pollution is also affiliated with the production of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) plastics (Internet 1). Dioxins are a serious public health threat. According to a draft report released for public comment in September 1994 by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPAS, there is no safe level of exposure to dioxin. After publication of a research paper from the
The Alpine Tundra Zone occurs on mountains throughout British Columbia, but especially along the Coast Mountains, in the north of the province
The Alpine Tundra Zone occurs on mountains throughout British Columbia, but especially along the Coast Mountains, in the north of the province, and in the southeast corner. It also extends beyond the borders of British Columbia to the north, east, and south. In southeastern British Columbia, alpine elevations start at about 2250 m, in the southwest at 1600 m, in the northeast at about 1500 m, and in the northwest at about 1500 to 1000 m. with limited areas of continuous vegetation cover. Soils are typically shallow and derived from weathered bedrock. Since cold retards the process of weathering, soils develop slowly in this zone. Occasional areas of permafrost also occur here. Terrain At the high altitudes typical of this zone, the terrain is often steep and rugged, with tall cliffs and rocky, snow-capped peaks. Much of the landscape is rock, ice, and snow, but some areas have stretches of flatter, gently rolling terrain, probably smoothed by glacial action. Glaciers also scoured out valleys and shaped steep cliffs and valley walls. When they melted, glaciers left a variety of special alpine landforms such as basin-like cirques. Talus slopes occur where gravity has caused frost-shattered fragments of rock to slide or fall down the slope. In alpine regions, the physical environment dictates the vegetation. Whether the terrain is gentle or extremely rough, the smallest
The Home Efficiency Audit.
Introduction The Home Efficiency Audit is a room-by-room guide that will help you identify and evaluate common environmental problems revolving around water efficiency, waste efficiency, and energy efficiency. Our energy consumption is a particularly important issue, which, through the generation of power from fossil fuels affects our surrounding environment (see: Greenhouse effect). And, in keeping a positive attitude towards the conservation of our environment and local ecosystems, this audit provides you with simple and attainable positive goals toward a more efficient household, and healthier living space. The Home Efficiency Audit will identify the major sources of poor efficiency in your home, giving information and tips on how to reduce your home inefficiency in your; basement, laundry area, living room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom. The Greenhouse effect The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon, without it the Earth would be about 30° C colder. Nevertheless, some scientists say that increased emissions of greenhouse gases have contributed to a manmade rise in global temperatures, sea level, droughts, forest-fires, heat waves, floods and storms. The emissions of greenhouse gases such as; carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, are all contributing to the greenhouse effect. Where the carbon dioxide, CO2, is the most important. The CO2 is the
Climate change and its impacts.
THE SUBJECT OF THIS PROJECT OPTION #5 CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACTS In the past 10 years a great deal of scientific evidence that earth is undergoing significant climate change due to what has been called "global warming". The climate weather change is expected to result in primary environmental impacts such as changing weather patterns (increased rainfall, storms, draughts) as well as a rise in sea levels due to melting of the polar icecap. The secondary impacts will be felt by people living in the affected regions - land use patterns will change and people will have to adjust to new environmental conditions. Some regions, of course, will benefit and some will be adversely affected. The state will have to be able to analyze the situation, plan for a new future, and mobilize resources. For this project assess some of the likely impacts on Brunei Darussalam - especially the possibility of a 0.5 to 1.0 meter rise in sea levels. What can be done in Brunei Darussalam to plan for and alleviate any negative impacts? International efforts have been underway (international meetings and agreements) to try to reverse the global warming trend by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere. What has been the Brunei Darussalam government's policy in this regard? Examine their involvement in the international negotiations. INTRODUCTION WHAT IS "GLOBAL