Toxic News

Erik Kojola, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota Near the Iron Range of rural Northeastern Minnesota—historically one of the largest iron-ore producing regions in the U.S.—mining companies, investors, state politicians, and some residents envision a new resource boom based on untapped “world-class” copper and nickel reserves.  Multiple mining companies backed by multinational investors … Continue reading For Love of the Place: Emotions and Identities in Conflicts over Environmental Risks from Mining in Minnesota

Dr Thomas Verbeek, Department of Sociology, University of Warwick @thverbeek Air pollution is an increasingly urgent matter of public concern in cities and regions around the world. Air pollution was linked to 9 million deaths around the world in 2015, with 92% of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. While poorer countries are the … Continue reading The environmental impacts of transportation infrastructure: Towards a new relationship between government and citizens

作者: 莞．歐亭格 (Gwen Ottinger) 翻譯: 施佳良 (Chia-Liang Shih) 校閱: 杜文苓 (Wen-Ling Tu) (This article was originally published in the May 2017 edition in English. This is a new fully translated version and the article is also re-published again in English in this edition.) 大約兩年前，我和同事開始進行基礎建設( infrastructuring)的實驗。我們的工作小組成員有社會科學學者、程式工程師、環境正義運動者以及周界(frontline)社區居民。這個工作小組開始創建網路基礎工具(web-based tools)，以幫助社會大眾了解及運用已經大量公開的環境空氣品質數據。在與工作小組的共事中，我學習到第一手有關資訊科技及其日常生活運用的四個課題，確認了社會科學研究者的發現，不僅為創造新的資訊技術而努力，並確保這樣的技術能確實將資訊事實帶入環境正義運動中運作。 [有意義的監測] 計畫(Meaning from Monitoring project) 是受到來自於居住在舊金山灣區煉油廠周界社區的運動者的啟發。在1995年，加州克羅克特（Crockett）和羅迪歐（Rodeo）的居民對他們的煉油廠鄰居(過去是Unocal, 現在是 Phillips 66)施壓，要求煉油廠針對有毒氣體的監測，安裝最先進(state-of-the-art)的環境空氣監測系統。這是第一個採納社區成員重要技術意見而發展的系統，並且成為鄰近的貝尼西亞(Benicia，靠近瓦萊羅煉油廠)、里奇蒙(Richmond，雪佛龍煉油廠所在地)等地的模範。隨後這兩個城鎮都贏得自己的周界監測計畫。貝尼西亞在2008年到2012年之間發展出來；里奇蒙在2013年對雪佛龍也建立起類似於Phillips 66的監測系統，運作至今。這些社區的共同努力，促使北加州的灣區空氣品質管理區（BAAQMD）在2016年通過一項規定，要求其轄區內的所有 5家煉油廠都需要設立周界監控計劃。 “我們的基礎建設計畫回應了我們從監測資料生產中所看到未開發的潛力。這些資料是公開存在的，卻很少被使用。“ … Continue reading 從基礎設施實驗中學到的課題 Lessons Learned from an Experiment in Infrastructuring

Gwen Ottinger, Drexel University  (This article was originally published in the May 2017 edition and is re-published here alongside the new fully translated version.) Almost two years ago, colleagues and I began an experiment in infrastructuring. Our working group of social scientists, programmers, environmental justice activists, and residents of “frontline” communities set out to create … Continue reading Lessons Learned from an Experiment in Infrastructuring

Wen-Ling Tu,  Professor, Department of Public Administration, National Chengchi University, Taiwan On December 30, 2015, the AU Optronics (AUO) and Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT), two major flat panel TFT-LCD Taiwanese manufacturers held a pipe sealing ceremony, which marked the closing of the sewage discharge pipes and brought them into compliance with the zero-liquid-discharge requirement set … Continue reading An Uphill Battle to Hold High-tech Corporations Accountable: Lessons Learned from the Siaoli River Disputes in Taiwan