scholarly journals Lagging and Flagging: Air Pollution, Shale Gas Exploration and the Interaction of Policy, Science, Ethics and Environmental Justice in England

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 4320
Author(s):  
Andrew Watterson ◽  
William Dinan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
Oil And Gas Development ◽  
Scientific Publications

The science on the effects of global climate change and air pollution on morbidity and mortality is clear and debate now centres around the scale and precise contributions of particular pollutants. Sufficient data existed in recent decades to support the adoption of precautionary public health policies relating to fossil fuels including shale exploration. Yet air quality and related public health impacts linked to ethical and environmental justice elements are often marginalized or missing in planning and associated decision making. Industry and government policies and practices, laws and planning regulations lagged well behind the science in the United Kingdom. This paper explores the reasons for this and what shaped some of those policies. Why did shale gas policies in England fail to fully address public health priorities and neglect ethical and environmental justice concerns. To answer this question, an interdisciplinary analysis is needed informed by a theoretical framework of how air pollution and climate change are largely discounted in the complex realpolitik of policy and regulation for shale gas development in England. Sources, including official government, regulatory and planning documents, as well as industry and scientific publications are examined and benchmarked against the science and ethical and environmental justice criteria. Further, our typology illustrates how the process works drawing on an analysis of official policy documents and statements on planning and regulatory oversight of shale exploration in England, and material from industry and their consultants relating to proposed shale oil and gas development. Currently the oil, gas and chemical industries in England continue to dominate and influence energy and feedstock-related policy making to the detriment of ethical and environmental justice decision making with significant consequences for public health.

Environmental Justice, Ethics, and Public Health

2019 ◽  
pp. 727-738
Author(s):  
James F. Dwyer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Environmental Problems ◽  
Ecological Footprints ◽  
The People

Environmental problems raise important issues of justice when these problems affect people’s health prospects in systematically uneven ways, when people contribute to the problems in substantially unequal ways, and when the people who are affected by the problems have not been empowered to participate meaningfully and equally in the decisions that affect their lives. This chapter shows how these aspects of justice are relevant to waste disposal, air pollution, climate change, ecological footprints, and other environmental problems. After discussing how issues of justice arise, the chapter explores the work of environmental justice: ways to articulate, guide, and justify judgments of justice; ways to articulate and foster forms of responsibility; and ways to change social institutions and individual conduct to respond more adequately to environmental injustices.

scholarly journals 6.D. Workshop: Climate change, energy issues and air pollution – as a triad of health priorities

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Air Quality ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
World Health ◽  
Health Priorities ◽  
The World ◽  
Energy Issues

Abstract As well known, climate change changes weather patterns, producing far-reaching effects on the environment, the economy and society as a whole, endangering global livelihoods, health, food and energy security, and water resources. Climate change, although globally threating to the human population and biocenosis, yet has some positive sides if the unity achieved through the Green Deal (GD) can be named so. It is difficult to prioritize among many present-day challenges and many health threats. This document strongly confirms the path to be navigated. What is the role of health professionals and what is the possible contribution of public health? This European Commission document envisages Europe as the first climate-neutral continent while strengthening its economy, taking care of and improving its inhabitants' health. The GD insists on the care for nature and a clear view that no one should be left out and left behind. This workshop points out that, even we have large regulatory framework on clean air, air pollution in the European Union continues to be the top environmental threat to health, leading to approx. 400,000 early deaths annually and high health costs. Over 20 of the 27 EU countries fail to keep air quality standards, which for key pollutants are already less strict than what the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. There were several possible scenarios, out of which two were considered: one based on collaboration and the other, on conflict. Several dimensions were examined to address both cooperation instruments and the consequences of non-cooperation: Energy production (e.g., conventional versus renewable) and use; water resources and food security; the environment (air quality) and the impact on health; Population and migration flow. The Energy issues in the world demand new innovative ways of providing us with energy. Innovations sometimes go faster than the health sector can study the disadvantages for health. The burden of disease might change due to new forms of energy. It is important to note that health sector has an opportunity to not only prevent further damage from the air pollution and climate crises, but also to improve health outcomes by decarbonizing, building climate resilience, and amplifying the message around the interdependency between climate change and human health. This workshop will present a framework, co-developed by WHO and Health Care Without Harm, for climate-resilient, sustainable health facilities. Key messages The public health sector should consider the GD as an argument for achieving goals at national levels, and align national public health policies with the goals of this document. Achieving goals requires the education process for healthcare professionals covering all of topics of climate change, energy and air pollution to a much greater extent than before.

DATA ANALYTICS FOR CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE

2021 ◽  
pp. 2150005
Author(s):  
STAVROS DEMERTZIS ◽  
VASILIKI DEMERTZI ◽  
KONSTANTINOS DEMERTZIS
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Pollution ◽  
Data Analytics ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Anthropogenic Activities ◽  
Atmospheric Science ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Rivers And Lakes ◽  
Atmospheric Concentrations

Global climate change has already had observable effects on the environment. Glaciers have shrunk, ice on rivers and lakes is breaking up earlier, plant and animal ranges have shifted and trees are flowering sooner. Under these conditions, air pollution is likely to reach levels that create undesirable living conditions. Anthropogenic activities, such as industry, release large amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, increasing the atmospheric concentrations of these gases, thus significantly enhancing the greenhouse effect, which has the effect of increasing air heat and thus the speedup of climate change. The use of sophisticated data analysis methods to identify the causes of extreme pollutant values, the correlation of these values with the general climatic conditions and the general malfunctions that can be caused by prolonged air pollution can give a clear picture of current and future climate change. This paper presents a thorough study of preprocessing steps of data analytics and the appropriate big data architectures that are appropriate for the research study of Climate Change and Atmospheric Science.

What Islamic contributions have been made to climate change action and how useful are they in promoting environmental justice?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elle Turnbull
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Criminal Law ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Culturally Specific ◽  
Religious Perspective ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Global Environmental

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore Islamic contributions to discussions on climate change action and environmental justice. The author argues that Islamic approaches to this issue provide a unique cultural and religious perspective which can effectively address the issue of climate change. Design/methodology/approach Beginning with a discussion of the concepts central to this essay, the author moves to discuss why she has chosen to move away from approaches founded in criminal law, instead of arguing that it is important to focus on culturally specific approaches to environmental justice. The author then explores some of the approaches taken by mainstream Muslim organisations working towards environmental justice. In particular, the Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change and responses from Islamic Relief Worldwide, considering both the benefits and flaws of these approaches. Findings The author concludes by arguing that Sharīʿah has potential for developing Muslim environmental justice further, using Islamic legal rulings from Indonesia as an example. In this way, Islamic contributions can further aid global environmental justice. The author finds that culturally specific approaches to climate change, founded in legal mechanisms such as the Islamic juridical process (fiqh), have vast potential in securing environmental justice across the globe. Originality/value Islamic contributions to climate change are often relegated to the background, while approaches from the perspective of legal mechanisms and criminal law have been favoured. The author believes that an Islamic approach is not only a starkly different approach, but also one which can provide an impetus for change. This is particularly true for the contributions of Islamic jurists.

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