Environmental Reform in the Information Age : The Contours of Informational Governance

As the information revolution continues to accelerate, the environment remains high on public and political agendas around the world. These two topics are rarely connected, but information - its collection, processing, accessibility and verification - is crucial in dealing with environmental challenges such as climate change, unsustainable consumption, biodiversity conservation and waste management. The information society (encompassing entities such as the internet, satellites, interactive television and surveillance cameras) changes the conditions and resources which are involved in environmental governance: old modes and concepts are increasingly being replaced by new, informational ones. Arthur P. J. Mol explores how the information revolution is changing the way we deal with environmental issues; to what extent and where these transformations have (and have not) taken place; and what the consequences are for democracy and power relations. This book will appeal to scholars and students of environmental studies and politics, political sociology, geography and communications studies. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents in Brief......Page 9 Contents......Page 11 Tables, figures and boxes......Page 15 Preface......Page 17 1. The dawn of a new era......Page 19 2. Information explosions......Page 22 3. Conventional interpretations of environmental information......Page 25 4. The Information Society and the missing environment......Page 28 5. Environmental assessments of the information revolution......Page 30 6. Shifting (environmental) governance......Page 34 Informational governance......Page 37 7. Information-poor environments......Page 39 8. Design and outline......Page 42 PART I: Theory......Page 45 1. The transformation of modern society......Page 47 2. The Information Society thesis......Page 49 The Information Society and the environment......Page 52 Assessing and debating the Information Society claims......Page 55 The backside of the Information Society......Page 58 3. The Information Age......Page 60 Castells’s network society......Page 61 Globalisation......Page 63 Knowledge and uncertainty......Page 65 Governance......Page 68 4. Continuities between Information Society and Information Age......Page 70 5. Conclusion......Page 71 1. From environmental crises to environmental reform......Page 73 2. First-generation theories: policies and protests......Page 75 3. Second-generation theories: ecological modernisation......Page 78 Fundamentals of ecological modernisation......Page 79 Ecological modernisation as environmental reform......Page 81 Ecological modernisation and its critics......Page 83 A sociology of networks and flows......Page 86 An environmental sociology of networks and flows......Page 88 Double hybridisation......Page 91 Power and inequality; inclusion and exclusion......Page 94 5 Conclusion: information flows and environmental reform......Page 95 1. Introduction......Page 98 2. Informational governance and the environment......Page 100 Constituting developments......Page 102 Informational governance and informational regulation......Page 108 3. What about ecological modernisation?......Page 109 4. Informational politics and power......Page 113 5. Governance under radical uncertainty......Page 115 6. State authority and postsovereignty......Page 117 7. Global inequalities in informational governance......Page 119 8. Conclusion......Page 120 PART II: Praxis......Page 123 1. Conventional environmental monitoring......Page 125 2. Innovations in monitoring arrangements......Page 128 3. Who monitors who?......Page 131 4. Questions of surveillance and countersurveillance......Page 134 Colonisation of the life-world?......Page 135 Countersurveillance: citizen-consumer monitoring......Page 138 Energy monitoring......Page 140 Global Action Plan for the Earth: ecoteams......Page 142 Right-to-know: http://www.scorecard.org and others......Page 144 Webloggers......Page 146 6. Conclusion......Page 149 1. Introduction......Page 150 2. Information politics as environmental regulation......Page 151 From right-to-know legislation to active information disclosure......Page 152 Regulation by information......Page 155 Data-driven regulation......Page 158 3. E 2 -governance......Page 160 4. The search for information quality......Page 163 The call for information quality: the U.S. Data Quality Act......Page 164 5. Participation, trust and transparency......Page 168 Trust and transparency......Page 170 6. Regressive information politics?......Page 171 Symbolic governance......Page 172 Information closure? Environmental governance and homeland security (post-9/11)......Page 174 7. Conclusion: continuities and discontinuities......Page 177 1. Environment in a global economy......Page 180 2. Informational economy......Page 181 3. In-company environmental management and public accountability......Page 185 Developments in company environmental information......Page 188 4. Private governance in economic networks......Page 191 Agro-food and ecolabelling......Page 196 5. Monopolies, distortion and public relations......Page 202 6. Conclusion: stateless governance through information?......Page 205 1. A natural alliance in transition......Page 207 2. Digitalising environmental NGOs......Page 211 Consequences of ICT for local environmental organisations......Page 213 3. Transnational spaces for environmental movements......Page 217 4. New strategies, new alliances......Page 223 5. Legitimatory capital at risk......Page 225 6. Conclusion......Page 228 1. A New World Information and Communication Order?......Page 230 2. Mediated environment......Page 232 3. Media and mediated information......Page 235 4. The Fourth Estate in transition......Page 238 The media as battleground......Page 243 5. Environmental politics and the media......Page 246 6. Conclusion: media as governance, governance of the media......Page 250 1. China and Vietnam as information peripheries......Page 252 2. State monitoring: monopoly, reliability and capacity......Page 256 Monitoring in Vietnam......Page 257 Monitoring in China......Page 261 E-government rather than e-governance......Page 266 3. Transitional state-market relations......Page 269 Labelling, certification and international markets......Page 272 4. Transitional democracy? Civil society, public space and media control......Page 275 Civil society and informational pressures......Page 277 Media and public space......Page 279 The new media......Page 283 5. Conclusion: informational governance in status nascendi......Page 288 PART III: Conclusion......Page 291 1. Introduction......Page 293 2. Informational governance: what is it?......Page 295 3. Continuities and discontinuities......Page 297 4. Variations: regions, networks and fluids......Page 301 5. Assessing informational governance: environment and democracy......Page 303 6. New governance modes, new research agendas......Page 307 References......Page 311 Index......Page 347 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title 5 Copyright 6 Dedication 7 Contents in Brief 9 Contents 11 Tables, figures and boxes 15 Preface 17 1 Introduction: new frontiers of environmental governance 19 1. The dawn of a new era 19 2. Information explosions 22 3. Conventional interpretations of environmental information 25 4. The Information Society and the missing environment 28 5. Environmental assessments of the information revolution 30 6. Shifting (environmental) governance 34 Informational governance 37 7. Information-poor environments 39 8. Design and outline 42 PART I: Theory 45 2 From Information Society to Information Age 47 1. The transformation of modern society 47 2. The Information Society thesis 49 The Information Society and the environment 52 Assessing and debating the Information Society claims 55 The backside of the Information Society 58 3. The Information Age 60 Castells’s network society 61 Globalisation 63 Knowledge and uncertainty 65 Governance 68 4. Continuities between Information Society and Information Age 70 5. Conclusion 71 3 Social theories of environmental reform 73 1. From environmental crises to environmental reform 73 2. First-generation theories: policies and protests 75 3. Second-generation theories: ecological modernisation 78 Fundamentals of ecological modernisation 79 Ecological modernisation as environmental reform 81 Ecological modernisation and its critics 83 4. Third-generation theories: networks and flows 86 A sociology of networks and flows 86 An environmental sociology of networks and flows 88 Double hybridisation 91 Power and inequality; inclusion and exclusion 94 5 Conclusion: information flows and environmental reform 95 4 Informational governance 98 1. Introduction 98 2. Informational governance and the environment 100 Constituting developments 102 Informational governance and informational regulation 108 3. What about ecological modernisation? 109 4. Informational politics and power 113 5. Governance under radical uncertainty 115 6. State authority and postsovereignty 117 7. Global inequalities in informational governance 119 8. Conclusion 120 PART II: Praxis 123 5 Monitoring, surveillance and empowerment 125 1. Conventional environmental monitoring 125 2. Innovations in monitoring arrangements 128 3. Who monitors who? 131 4. Questions of surveillance and countersurveillance 134 Colonisation of the life-world? 135 Countersurveillance: citizen-consumer monitoring 138 5. Citizen-consumer empowerment 140 Energy monitoring 140 Global Action Plan for the Earth: ecoteams 142 Right-to-know: http://www.scorecard.org and others 144 Webloggers 146 6. Conclusion 149 6 Environmental state and information politics 150 1. Introduction 150 2. Information politics as environmental regulation 151 From right-to-know legislation to active information disclosure 152 Regulation by information 155 Data-driven regulation 158 3. E 2 -governance 160 4. The search for information quality 163 The call for information quality: the U.S. Data Quality Act 164 5. Participation, trust and transparency 168 Trust and transparency 170 6. Regressive information politics? 171 Symbolic governance 172 Information closure? Environmental governance and homeland security (post-9/11) 174 The informational state? 177 7. Conclusion: continuities and discontinuities 177 7 Greening the networked economy 180 1. Environment in a global economy 180 2. Informational economy 181 3. In-company environmental management and public accountability 185 Developments in company environmental information 188 4. Private governance in economic networks 191 Agro-food and ecolabelling 196 5. Monopolies, distortion and public relations 202 6. Conclusion: stateless governance through information? 205 8 Environmental activism and advocacy 207 1. A natural alliance in transition 207 2. Digitalising environmental NGOs 211 Consequences of ICT for local environmental organisations 213 3. Transnational spaces for environmental movements 217 4. New strategies, new alliances 223 5. Legitimatory capital at risk 225 6. Conclusion 228 9 Media monopolies, digital democracy, cultural clashes 230 1. A New World Information and Communication Order? 230 2. Mediated environment 232 3. Media and mediated information 235 4. The Fourth Estate in transition 238 The media as battleground 243 5. Environmental politics and the media 246 6. Conclusion: media as governance, governance of the media 250 10 Information-poor environments: Asian tigers 252 1. China and Vietnam as information peripheries 252 2. State monitoring: monopoly, reliability and capacity 256 Monitoring in Vietnam 257 Monitoring in China 261 E-government rather than e-governance 266 3. Transitional state-market relations 269 Labelling, certification and international markets 272 4. Transitional democracy? Civil society, public space and media control 275 Civil society and informational pressures 277 Media and public space 279 The new media 283 5. Conclusion: informational governance in status nascendi 288 PART III: Conclusion 291 11 Balancing informational perspectives 293 1. Introduction 293 2. Informational governance: what is it? 295 3. Continuities and discontinuities 297 4. Variations: regions, networks and fluids 301 5. Assessing informational governance: environment and democracy 303 6. New governance modes, new research agendas 307 References 311 Index 347 As the information revolution continues to accelerate, the environment remains high on public and political agendas around the world. These two topics are rarely connected, but information - its collection, processing, accessibility and verification - is crucial in dealing with environmental challenges such as climate change, unsustainable consumption, biodiversity conservation, and waste management. The information society (encompassing entities such as the Internet, satellites, interactive television and surveillance cameras) changes the conditions and resources that are involved in environmental governance: old modes and concepts are increasingly being replaced by new, informational ones. Arthur P.J. Mol explores how the information revolution is changing the way we deal with environmental issues; to what extent and where these transformations have (and have not) taken place; and what the consequences are for democracy and power relations. This book will appeal to scholars and students of environmental studies and politics, political sociology, geography and communications studies. The information society changes the conditions and resources which are involved in environmental governance - old modes and concepts are being replaced by new, informational ones. This book explores how the information revolution is changing the way we deal with environmental issues and what the consequences of this are for democracy How have global changes in information technology and communications affected environmental policy and governance? Arthur P. J. Mol shows how the information revolution brings about new forms of environmental governance and examines the resulting successes and problems Arthur P.j. Mol. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 293-328) And Index.