EAWAG news 50e (February 2001)
Opening Science to the Public (Entire volume)
Editorial (
en50e_edi.pdf, 52 KB)
Alexander J.B. Zehnder (alexander.zehnder@eawag.ch)
Lead Article
The CLEAR Project (
Carlo Jaeger
Experiences based on the CLEAR project (Climate and Environment in Alpine Regions) have taught us that the scientific community should put more emphasis on analyzing and communicating uncertainties in interpreting environmental studies. Furthermore, climate change research must pay more attention to both short- and long-term approaches to reduce energy consumption. Focus groups appear to be a promising way to allow citizens input into the research process.
Research Reports
Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making (
Bernd Kasemir
The previous article discussed the general approach used in the CLEAR project; namely, why citizens should be included in "Integrated Assessments" of complex environmental phenomena. In this article, we argue that public participation is not only desirable for theoretical reasons, but also necessary because of very practical problems during the decision finding process. Here we present in some detail, the design and results of pilot projects on citizen participation in the examples of the European project ULYSSES and the Swiss project CLEAR.
Democracy Depends on the Procedure - Conditions for Political Participation (
Jeannette Behringer (jbehringer@eawag.ch)
Discourse-oriented approaches to political participation at the community level are becoming more widely used, but are often undemocratic. Either directly or indirectly, however, they create situations of inequality by disallowing some participants to voice their opinion adequately. This, in turn, can lead to results where the recommendations of the group are not represented correctly. Methods of empirical sociology allow us to determine conditions of the group environment from the perspective of the various participants, thereby helping us to achieve a more democratic process.
Citizens' Perspectives of Climate Change in Switzerland - Perceived Barriers to Action
(
Susanne Stoll-Kleemann (Susanne.Stoll@pik-potsdam.de)
How do groups of informed citizens view their personal responsibility for climate change mitigation? Through the lens of an Integrated Assessment (IA) focus group, this paper looks at a number of psychological devices that people employ to justify the emotional dissonance they experience when confronted with the prospect of changing consumption patterns and lifestyles in order to reduce the levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
Images of Science - Science from the Citizen's Perspective (
Daniela Schibli
Which images of science circulate in the heads of the average citizen? What does he or she expect from science, and how is science judged? These questions play a central role in the discussion of political, social and ecological themes that are closely related to science and technology. It is important to know how the public views science in order to understand the relationship between science and the layperson and to actively shape communication.CLEAR Goes to School (
Martin Büssenschütt (martin.buessenschuett@eawag.ch)
Teachers face a difficult task when discussing topics that include environmental issues. They must stay up-to-date and keep an eye on new research in order to incorporate the most recent information in their classrooms. Research results, however, are often not easily taken in at a glance; they are typically in the form of individual reports on very specific aspects of a larger problem. It is even difficult for the scientifically educated individual to digest and simplify the plethora of information into the "big picture".
Innovations in the Private Transportation Sector: When Are They Acceptable?
(
Sylvia Harms
The most common mode of transportation in Western industrial nations is by automobile. People own cars and basically have them available permanently. Such collective behavior has dramatic ecological consequences. Considering that the number of car owners is still on the increase, innovative solutions are needed to reverse this trend.
Forum / In Brief (
Water Resource Management in the Heart of Europe
Pollution of water resources and resulting environmental degradation are the consequences of a wide range of human activities - including housing, laundry, agriculture, industry, energy extraction and use, and tourism. These types of activities are currently expanding at an enormous rate. What remains to be done? And is Switzerland prepared to face the demands of the future?
Personnel
In Brief
Please feel free to submit questions or suggestions any time to the editor Martina Bauchrowitz.