Ignorance loops: How non-knowledge about bee-toxic agrochemicals is iteratively produced

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 751-777
Author(s):  
Jennie L Durant
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Colony Losses ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
The Us ◽  
Knowledge Politics ◽  
Bee Health ◽  
Chemical Companies

In this article, I examine the knowledge politics around pesticides in the United States and the role it plays in honey bee declines. Since 2006, US beekeepers have lost an average of one-third of their colonies each year. Though a number of factors influence bee health, beekeepers, researchers and policymakers cite pesticides as a primary contributor. In the US, pesticide registration is overseen by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), with the required tests conducted by chemical companies applying for registration. Until 2016, the EPA only required chemical companies to measure acute toxicity for non-target species, which means that many pesticides with sublethal toxicities are not labeled bee-toxic, and farmers can apply them without penalty while bees are on their farms or orchards. In addition, California state and county regulators will typically only investigate a bee kill caused by a labeled bee-toxic pesticide, and so emergent data on non-labeled, sublethal pesticides goes uncollected. These gaps in data collection frustrate beekeepers and disincentivize them from reporting colony losses to regulatory agencies – thus reinforcing ignorance about which chemicals are toxic to bees. I term the iterative cycle of non-knowledge co-constituted by regulatory shortfalls and stakeholder regulatory disengagement an ‘ignorance loop’. I conclude with a discussion of what this dynamic can tell us about the politics of knowledge production and pesticide governance and the consequences of ‘ignorance loops’ for stakeholders and the environment.

Before American History: Nationalist Mythmaking and Indigenous Dispossession

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christen Mucher
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Production ◽  
American History ◽  
New Spain ◽  
The United States ◽  
Material Base ◽  
Historical Knowledge ◽  
The Past ◽  
British America ◽  
The Us ◽  
Ruling Elites

Before American History examines the project of settler nationalism from the 1780s to the 1840s in two of North America’s republics—the US and Mexico—through an analysis of historical knowledge production. As the US and Mexico transformed from European colonies into independent republics—and before war scarred them both—antiquarians and historians compiled and interpreted archives meant to document America’s Indigenous pasts. Before American History approaches two iconic imaginings of the past—the carved Sun Stone and the mounded earthwork—as archives of nationalist power and Indigenous dispossession as well as objects that are, at their material base, Indigenously-produced but settler-controlled and settler-interpreted. In making the connection between earthworks built by an allegedly vanished people merely peripheral to US citizens and the literal touchstone of Mexicans’ history, Before American History details how Mexican and US nationalists created national histories out of Indigenous pasts and thereby wrote Indigenous pasts out of their national histories and out of national lands. It uncovers how the manipulation of Indigenous pasts and (mis)interpretations of “American Antiquities”—Indigenous documents, objects and monuments—served the purposes of a trans-imperial/transnational network of creole ruling elites, first in New Spain and British America, and later in Mexico and the United States, as they struggled to construct new political, geographic, and historical orders.

scholarly journals The contribution of marine organics to the air quality of the western United States

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (15) ◽  
pp. 7415-7423 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Gantt ◽  
N. Meskhidze ◽  
A. G. Carlton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Atmospheric Chemistry ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Western United States ◽  
The Us

Abstract. The contribution of marine organic emissions to the air quality in coastal areas of the western United States is studied using the latest version of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regional-scale Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQv4.7) modeling system. Emissions of marine isoprene, monoterpenes, and primary organic matter (POM) from the ocean are implemented into the model to provide a comprehensive view of the connection between ocean biology and atmospheric chemistry and air pollution. Model simulations show that marine organics can increase the concentration of PM2.5 by 0.1–0.3 μg m−3 (up to 5%) in some coastal cities such as San Francisco, CA. This increase in the PM2.5 concentration is primarily attributed to the POM emissions, with small contributions from the marine isoprene and monoterpenes. When marine organic emissions are included, organic carbon (OC) concentrations over the remote ocean are increased by up to 50% (25% in coastal areas), values consistent with recent observational findings. This study is the first to quantify the air quality impacts from marine POM and monoterpenes for the United States, and it highlights the need for inclusion of marine organic emissions in air quality models.

scholarly journals Regulation of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctane Sulfonic Acid (PFOS) in Drinking Water: A Comprehensive Review

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pontius
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Sulfonic Acid ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Perfluorooctanoic Acid ◽  
Regulatory Agencies ◽  
Water Regulation ◽  
Biological Degradation ◽  
The Us ◽  
Legal Constraints

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) are receiving global attention due to their persistence in the environment through wastewater effluent discharges and past improper industrial waste disposal. They are resistant to biological degradation and if present in wastewater are discharged into the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) issued drinking water Health Advisories for PFOA and PFOS at 70 ng/L each and for the sum of the two. The need for an enforceable primary drinking water regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) is currently being assessed. The USEPA faces stringent legal constraints and technical barriers to develop a primary drinking water regulation for PFOA and PFOS. This review synthesizes current knowledge providing a publicly available, comprehensive point of reference for researchers, water utilities, industry, and regulatory agencies to better understand and address cross-cutting issues associated with regulation of PFOA and PFOS contamination of drinking water.

scholarly journals Public perceptions of federal science advisory boards depend on their composition

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (37) ◽  
pp. 22668-22670
Author(s):  
Caitlin Drummond ◽  
Sara Goto Gray ◽  
Kaitlin T. Raimi ◽  
Robyn Wilson ◽  
Joseph Árvai
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Expert Advice ◽  
Academic Scientists ◽  
Business Interests ◽  
Advisory Boards ◽  
Science Advisory ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Government ◽  
Public Views

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Science Advisory Board (SAB) provides expert advice to inform agency decision-making. Recent regulations have decreased the representation of academic scientists on the EPA SAB and increased the representation of industry scientists. In an experiment, we asked how the US public views the goals and legitimacy of the board as a function of its composition. Respondents perceived SABs with a majority of industry scientists to be more likely to promote business interests than SABs with a majority of academic scientists. Liberals were less likely than conservatives to perceive industry-majority SABs as promoting human health and the environment, and making unbiased and evidence-based decisions. Our findings underscore the potential for politicization of scientific advice to the government.

THE ORIGINS OF THE US PRESIDENT LYNDON B. JOHNSON’S PRO-ISRAELI SYMPATHY, 1908-1948

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 35-43
Author(s):  
VLADIMIR RUMYANTSEV ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Initial Period ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Career ◽  
Senate Elections ◽  
Life Attitudes ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Jewish Refugees ◽  
The Us ◽  
Lyndon Johnson ◽  
Willingness To Use

The purpose of this study is to identify the origins of the pro-Israeli affections of the prominent American politician Lyndon Baines Johnson (the President of the United States in 1963-1968) in the initial period of his political career before winning the Senate elections in 1948. The study resulted in conclusion that preferences of Lyndon Johnson towards Israel were influenced by a number of factors. First of all, this was the influence of the views that had developed in the family of an American politician. His grandfather and aunt were active members of the Christodelphian community, in which the protection of the Jews as God’s chosen people was one of the principles of life. Lyndon’s father, Samuel Ealy Johnson, jr. always tried to take the side of the oppressed and persecuted people. Because of this, Lyndon’s father received threats against him from the Ku Klux Klan. We should also note the role of Lyndon Johnson’s encirclement at the dawn of his political career. A number of prominent American Zionists stood out in this encirclement. In addition, the life attitudes and values of the future 36th US president coincided with the philosophy and experience of the founders of the State of Israel, from side of its leaders as well as from the side of ordinary citizens, soldiers and farmers. Being raised on the Texas frontier and admired for examples of bravery and courage, Johnson felt justified in Israel’s willingness to use force at any moment. Lyndon Johnson’s words and deeds were never at variance. He personally took part in saving the lives of Jewish refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe. Though, their number, apparently, was not as large as it is sometimes presented in publicist and even historical papers.

The Big Trade

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul F. Steinberg
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Government Regulation ◽  
Engine Performance ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Free Enterprise ◽  
Tetraethyl Lead ◽  
Corporate Behavior ◽  
Surgeon General ◽  
The Us

As we continue our exploration of who rules the earth, we find that the economy, once you look inside it, relies on a vast system of rules and regulations, its cogs and wheels spinning day and night to enable the countless transactions that make up a modern economy. The relation between markets and rules is a fascinating one, far more complex than is suggested by the usual debates over government regulation versus free enterprise. Markets rely on rules. But increasingly, the reverse is also true: Some of our most innovative environmental policies and regulations have embedded within them market incentives designed to promote pro-environment behavior. To appreciate the stakes, let’s begin by considering what is arguably the greatest environmental tragedy—and biggest environmental success story—of all time. The removal of tetraethyl lead from gasoline has had a profound impact on human health and well-being worldwide. The change began in the United States in the late 1970s, soon spread to Europe, and over the next two decades diffused throughout the entire world. This shift was prompted by an innovative set of rules that actually assigned property rights to poison—and in the process created incentives for widespread changes in corporate behavior. Under the Clean Air Act of 1970, the US Environmental Protection Agency had the legal authority to regulate tetraethyl lead, which had been added to gasoline since the 1920s to boost engine performance. The original decision to add “ethyl” to the chemical mixture sloshing around in our gas tanks took place despite dire warnings from health experts. Foremost among these was Alice Hamilton, Harvard’s first female professor and the country’s leading expert on the health impacts of lead, which she knew intimately from her studies of worker exposure in the largely unregulated “dangerous trades” of the time. In 1925, the US Surgeon General convened a special meeting to decide whether ethyl production could proceed despite the known health risks. Hamilton argued that it would be reckless to deliberately disperse throughout the air a substance whose toxic effects (notably damage to the human nervous system) were well known for centuries.

scholarly journals The concept of well integrity in gas production activities

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Reichetseder
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Marcellus Shale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Well Integrity ◽  
Drinking Water Resources ◽  
The Us ◽  
Geological Situation

Abstract Shale gas production in the US, predominantly from the Marcellus shale, has been accused of methane emissions and contaminating drinking water under the suspicion that this is caused by hydraulic fracturing in combination with leaking wells. Misunderstandings of the risks of shale gas production are widespread and are causing communication problems. This paper discusses recent preliminary results from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) draft study, which is revealing fact-based issues: EPA did not find evidence that these mechanisms have led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources in the United States, which contrasts many broad-brushed statements in media and public. The complex geological situation and extraction history of oil, gas and water in the Marcellus area in Pennsylvania is a good case for learnings and demonstrating the need for proper analysis and taking the right actions to avoid problems. State-of-the-art technology and regulations of proper well integrity are available, and their application will provide a sound basis for shale gas extraction.

Sustainable Development and the US

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 477-482
Author(s):  
Ann H. Walker ◽  
Steven R. Warren ◽  
Debra Scholz ◽  
John Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Bottom Line ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Initiatives

ABSTRACT In the late 1980s, the United Nations recognized that industrial activities of the 19th and 2(20th centuries were responsible for global pollution-related problems, and presented a future threat to life-sustaining qualities of the environment. While difficult to document in a perfectly quantifiable and defensible case, the evidence was sufficiently strong for the UN to create a global initiative for sustainable development. Many countries around the world now have institutionalized programs for sustainable development. Target projects and procedures to implement incremental changes in the way the natural elements necessary for life are sustained for their support of, and use by, future generations by managing growth and pollution are underway. The United States has a number of initiatives in various agencies that primarily consist of discrete government-government or government-industry partnerships. Nonetheless, the concept of sustainable development in the US remains ambiguous in terms of its widespread understanding and adoption by the public and private sectors, which are responsible for activities that can cause pollution, or indirectly affect the ability of the environment to sustain future human populations, lifestyles, and the economy. The US Environmental Protection Agency refers to some of its sustainable development initiatives as “Smart Growth” to more clearly and positively conveys the focus of these activities. It has been observed that sustainable development will not make a significant difference in the US, relative to the strides made in other countries, unless sustainable development programs become regulatory in nature. The US sustainable development initiatives are discretionary and essentially implemented according to the prevailing political will. Since the US economy is based on capitalism, and growth in profits is a pre-requisite to economic success, sustainable development programs will only be implemented if program managers in industry and government believe that these programs somehow tangibly benefit “the bottom line.” While exhibiting pioneering leadership in many areas, with regard to innovative and across-the-board programs for sustainable development, the US in fact may lag behind the rest of the world.

scholarly journals Hazardous Air Pollutants Associated with Upstream Oil and Natural Gas Development: A Critical Synthesis of Current Peer-Reviewed Literature

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diane A. Garcia-Gonzales ◽  
Seth B.C. Shonkoff ◽  
Jake Hays ◽  
Michael Jerrett
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
The United States ◽  
Hazardous Air Pollutants ◽  
Adverse Health Outcomes ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Natural Gas Development ◽  
The Us ◽  
Oil And Natural Gas

Increased energy demands and innovations in upstream oil and natural gas (ONG) extraction technologies have enabled the United States to become one of the world's leading producers of petroleum and natural gas hydrocarbons. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lists 187 hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) that are known or suspected to cause cancer or other serious health effects. Several of these HAPs have been measured at elevated concentrations around ONG sites, but most have not been studied in the context of upstream development. In this review, we analyzed recent global peer-reviewed articles that investigated HAPs near ONG operations to ( a) identify HAPs associated with upstream ONG development, ( b) identify their specific sources in upstream processes, and ( c) examine the potential for adverse health outcomes from HAPs emitted during these phases of hydrocarbon development.

scholarly journals Continued emissions of carbon tetrachloride from the United States nearly two decades after its phaseout for dispersive uses

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (11) ◽  
pp. 2880-2885 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Hu ◽  
Stephen A. Montzka ◽  
Ben R. Miller ◽  
Arlyn E. Andrews ◽  
John B. Miller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Carbon Tetrachloride ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bay Area ◽  
The Us ◽  
Atmospheric Observations ◽  
Surrounding Areas

National-scale emissions of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) are derived based on inverse modeling of atmospheric observations at multiple sites across the United States from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s flask air sampling network. We estimate an annual average US emission of 4.0 (2.0–6.5) Gg CCl4 y−1 during 2008–2012, which is almost two orders of magnitude larger than reported to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) (mean of 0.06 Gg y−1) but only 8% (3–22%) of global CCl4 emissions during these years. Emissive regions identified by the observations and consistently shown in all inversion results include the Gulf Coast states, the San Francisco Bay Area in California, and the Denver area in Colorado. Both the observation-derived emissions and the US EPA TRI identified Texas and Louisiana as the largest contributors, accounting for one- to two-thirds of the US national total CCl4 emission during 2008–2012. These results are qualitatively consistent with multiple aircraft and ship surveys conducted in earlier years, which suggested significant enhancements in atmospheric mole fractions measured near Houston and surrounding areas. Furthermore, the emission distribution derived for CCl4 throughout the United States is more consistent with the distribution of industrial activities included in the TRI than with the distribution of other potential CCl4 sources such as uncapped landfills or activities related to population density (e.g., use of chlorine-containing bleach).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document