community interventions: The importance of self-efficacy and resources National Environmental Justice Conference and Training 2015 Washington D.C., USA March 11th, 2015
Susanne Brner Postgraduate Researcher/ PhD Student Department of Political Sciences Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany Research group Sustainable Development boerner@em.uni-frankfurt.de 3/16/15
Overview 1. Vulnerability 2. Approaching environmental injustice: distribution, participation, and agency 3. Research questions 4. Coping with environmental injustice 5. Methodological considerations 6. Presentation of the study area 7. Case study: coping narratives from the harbor district, Dortmund, Germany 8. Lessons learned for empowerment and capacity-building in environmentally burdened communities
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Vulnerability Vulnerable communities are often disproportionately affected by environmental burdens. (exposure to polluting facilities, noise, air pollution and hazardous living conditions) Vulnerability = ability or inability of individuals or social groupings to respond to, in the sense of cope with, [] any external stress placed on their livelihoods and well-being.
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Kelly and Adger (2000)
Approaching environmental injustice
Whenever some individual or group bears disproportionate environmental risks [] or has
unequal access to environmental goods [], or has less opportunity to participate in environmental decision-making (Shrader-Frechette,2002:3) One cannot talk of one aspect of justice without it leading to another (Schlosberg, 2007:73): unequal distribution and constrained participation both work towards constructing claims for injustice.
Distributive justice Agency of people to cope with environmental risks and to play an active role in shaping their environment. (Sen/Nussbaum: well-being, realized freedoms, and flourishing)
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Procedural justice equals
Capabilities
We should focus on promoting empowerment and enabling people to participate in the first place.
determine
Perceptions of individual resources and social opportunities
Sen (1999a/1999b); Nussbaum (2006); Schlosberg (2010)
Assuming the perspective of
the affected population
Research Questions
How have affected residents coped with environmental burdens
in their neighborhood, and how are their self-perceptions of the ability to cope shaped by biographical experiences? Which lessons can we learn for interventions aimed at building community capacity?
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Coping narratives Model On households Vulnerability towards their local Environment attitude towards
Perceptions of social opportunities / external structures
Biographical experiences
the behavior
copingintention
subjective norm (social pressure)
coping -behaviour
everyday coping institutional coping
perceived behavioural control
TPB
(ease / difficulty of performing a behavior)
Coping Capacity object resources condition resources personal resources COR energy resources Coping narratives: coping as a life-long process Biographical perspective
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Current selfperceptions
Individual experiences
Narrative approach
Adapted from Kckler (2011; 2014). The model draws on Ajzens Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and HobfollsConservation of Resources Theory (COR)
Methodological considerations There is a need for research that better deals with the procedural and recognition dimensions of environmental justice using research methods that are more likely to be qualitative, experimental and participatory Residents who are engaged in a community-based protest group
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Walker (2012:218/219)
Narrative Interviews Open narratives Giving a voice to those affected Participatory research process Understanding individual experiences Avoiding generalizations Allowing room for complexity Understanding environmental justice as a process
Residents who are
not engaged in a community -based protest group
Case Study : Dortmund harbor district
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Basic facts: a stigmatized area
Ruhr-area in Western Germany, formerly known for mining and heavy industry Northern part of Dortmund, an area with multiple social and environmental burdens Noise and air pollution Lack of cleanliness, increased littering of the area An unemployment rate of up to 24% A high crime rate, alcoholism, drug abuse, prostitution
Perception of stigmatization
Up to 60% of the population has a migration background
All the bad and problematic
things end up in the Northern city of Dortmund. If there is no room anywhere else, they just end up there.
High turnover rate of the population (33% per year)
Transit district
Urban planner, Dortmund
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Expert interviews with a neighborhood manager, an urban planner, and a parish priest in Northern Dortmund
Contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs): causes and impacts
PCBs were released into the environment due to the
inappropriate disposal of large transformers containing PCB by the recycling company Envio.
17.000 residents live in the harbor district
Approx. 5.000 workers in the harbor
PCBs may remain there for long periods of time in the area affecting environment cycling between air, water, and soil. 1.200 people underwent blood testing Adverse health effects of PCBs: cancer, negative effects on 320 people with very high PCB levels in the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system, etc. their blood
Until now, the contaminated area has not been cleaned up
Community protest group formed in 2010 with the aim to
shed light on the scandal 3/16/15
Contamination of nearby allotment gardens, schools, kindergardens and local holiday spots (parks, green space, canal)
EPA (2013); Brgerinitiative gegen den PCB Skandal in Dortmund (2015); sources of photographs: former Enviro website (no longer in use)
Fighting an invisible enemy
PCB is an invisible noxious agent
An abstract risk You can neither taste it, nor hear it, nor smell it. Lack of clearly reliable threshold values Later reconstruction of impacts is difficult (various sources of PCB: cigarettes, fish, ) Long-term health impacts (higher cancer risk, etc.) but no immediate visibility of impacts But: PCB has an impact on the quality of life
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Source of photograph: Julia Unkel
Those who came to the assemblies were better informed [than
others]. But those who did not read the newspaper had absolutely no clue. I talked to many people in the park. They had really no idea what I was talking about. Nobody had informed them. Former resident and activist
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Coping actions (preliminary results)
Coping through suppression
Looking towards the future Business as usual
Coping through daily
adaptation
Coping through participation (community protest group)
Avoid daily activities
Protest actions Distributing flyers Collecting signatures Attending public hearings Engaging with other stakeholders (roundtables): put the issue on the agenda Researching facts Engaging with politicians and the media
such as planting herbs or swimming in the canal
Coping through moving
Mostly families with
small children moved
Changing coping behavior over time is possible
First you ask yourself Should we still go [to the park] now? [] But I think it wouldnt make sense to
avoid the park now. We already were affected by the pollutants earlier, when we went to the park a lot to go for a walk in the past. (resident and activist) 3/16/15
Motives for participation (preliminary results)
Feeling personally affected Geographical proximity to the polluting company Concern for the well-being of the family Frustration with the lack of reaction in the neighborhood
"I felt truly fooled: On
the one hand, it was already said that this was a big environmental scandal. But at the same time, they played down the impacts when it came to a concrete level. Resident and activist
Destruction of the environment in an already
burdened area Perception of the lack of action of authorities and the attitude of down-playing the issue Criticism of the lack of information and lack of transparency Biographical experiences 3/16/15
" I was living very close
to the [industrial complex]. [] I also had a garden in front of my house and my children were always playing there. After work I always spent my time there. Former resident and activist
Related prior professional experiences Positive experiences of engaging in community action (things can be changed) Experiences showing the importance of pro-social coping
Stigmatization due to migration
background Experiences of powerlessness, perception that nobody really cares (ex.: prostitution and criminality) Experiences of political pressure (i.e. garden plot holders)
Frustration with legal proceedings
Having successfully coped with stigmatization
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Some activists quit the pressure group over
time due to an increased feeling of powerlessness, loss of resources, disagreements within the group
I have tried it, and I havent reached anything. [] I have tried
it once. But it hasnt worked out. You can do whatever you want. You dont get through. There are many people who think this way. Many migrants therefore do not dare try to do anything, and they do not say no to anything. Former resident and activist from Turkey
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Perception of individual resources
Typology of resources according to Hobfoll
PERSONAL RESOURCES personal characteristics, skills, communal mastery (social support) age, health, language
time, money, knowledge
ENERGY RESOURCES
RESOURCES
house, car, etc.
OBJECT RESOURCES 3/16/15
Hobfoll (1989); Hobfoll and Buchwald (2004)
CONDITION RESOURCES
Preliminary results No children / grown-up children
Urban planners Retirement
Time Housewife
Part-time job Self-employment (flexibility)
Non active residents: lack of
energy resources Lack of time No income/ unemployment Fear of the future and everyday survival issues Lack of knowledge
Political processes
Community organizing
Expertise Party affiliation
Energy resources (they aid the acquisition of other resources)
Medical expertise
Low/medium
Income
The only option for us low-paid workers
is to find a cheap environment, apartment, to live in. You need to provide a living for the children. As a single parent you do not have any other choice [...] The financial problem is always there. Turkish mother, former resident and activist
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And then I am thinking that maybe this is not so bad. I have no
expertise, I am not a Chemist who can give precise explanations. I am not a party member either. Actually, I do not have any particular skills and I am not much of a big talker. But maybe that is particularly good. I am simply a resident who lives here. Then nobody needs to think , Ah, she is trying to win support for her party. She is a Green, a Left-Wing, a Right-Wing, whatever. It is simply that she lives there together with her family. And she is is simply affected like many others. Maybe it is quite good if somebody who is a rather neutral person, forms part/, if you can say that. So maybe it is good that I am there, too. Resident and activist
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Preliminary results Courage
Being a troublemaker Ability to grasp complexity and technical issues Being a talker
Ability to confront others
Characteristics and abilities
Optimism Organizational skills
Networking skills Research skills Non active residents: lack of personal resources Indifference Pessimism Afraid of personal consequences Perceived lack of necessary skills
Support from friends
Give a voice to the individual in a group Cultural community
Personal resources
Support from neighbors
Communal mastery (supportive social networks)
Support from family New contacts but loss of old friendships
Pro-social orientation
"I do not go there just for myself. I go
there for all the people who live there. There are good things where you need to give your support. But there are also bad things where you need support others. Former resident and activist
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" As as a single person you feel that this makes you angry. But what can you do? Nothing, apart from getting angry. And then I read this announcement in the newspaper saying that people wanted to form a pressure group. And then I thought, Great, apparently I am not the only one who is angry and feels that something should be done about it. I really found that great. And then I immediately went to the first meeting. Active resident
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Preliminary results
Concern for small
children (moving) Age Loss of energy due to advanced age
Less concern for
personal health at a higher age (staying)
Non active residents: lack
of condition resources Language barriers Poor health Leaving the neighborhood because of small children
Health as a precondition for
actively shaping life Health
Condition resources
Health problems as a reason
for leaving the protest group Language skills
Ability to communicate
I would not have ended up in the
Envio group [] if it wasnt for my knowledge of the German language. Nobody can translate how I feel. Former resident and activist from Turkey
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Changing attitudes and perceived behavioral
control over time (preliminary results)
Anger and frustration (lack of action & information)
Running against a rubber wall, participation trap, repression
Our hands are tied lack of support
We are not enough to make a real change
Difficult to reach people in the neighborhood
What else can
we do now?
Group still remains active
We cannot give up (restoration, avoid future scandals, seek justice)
Some quit over time: frustration, powerlessness.
Success occurs in small, small steps
Information has improved, we have annoyed them
Uncover ing deficiencies, keeping the issue on the agenda
People from different backgrounds were brought together
Some remained: personal satisfaction, fun, small victories.
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Recommendations for capacity-building
1. Take account of peoples perceptions of resources and self-efficacy. 2. Value, recognize, and encourage in order to boost peoples self-image. 3. Provide transparent and accessible information. 4. Approach people at street level - personally and individually. 5. Provide real and concrete possibilities for participation at eye-level. 6. Foster collective action and togetherness. 7. Think small! Make empowerment tangible.
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Thank you for your attention!
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References
Brgerinitiative gegen den PCB Skandal in Dortmund (2015). Brgerinitiative. [cited 28 February 2015] Retrieved from: http://www.pcb-skandal.de. EPA, Environmental Protection Agency (2013). Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) Basic Information. [cited 28 February 2015] Retrieved from: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/about.htm. Esri, i-cubed, USDA FSA, USGS, AEX, GeoEye, AeroGRID, Getmapping, IGP (2012). World imagery. [cited 28 February 2015] Retrieved from: http://www.arcgis.com/home/item.html? id=a5fef63517cd4a099b437e55713d3d54. GeoBasis-DE / BKG( 2011). Verwaltungsgebiete 1:250,000. Staat, Bundeslnder, Regierungsbezirke, Kreise, Verwaltungsgemeinschaften, Gemeinden. Bundesamtes fr Kartographie und Geodsie. Hobfoll, S.E. (1989). Conservation of Resources. A New Attempt at Conceptualizing Stress. American Psychologist; 1989:13-24. Hobfoll, S.E. and Buchwald, P. (2004). Die Theorie der Ressourcenerhaltung und das multiaxiale Copingmodell eine innovative Stresstheorie. In P. Buchwald, C. Schwarzer and S.E. Hobfoll (Eds.). Stress gemeinsam bewltigen. Ressourcenmanagement und multiaxiales Coping. Hogrefe. Kelly, M. and Adger, N. (2000). Theory and Practice in Assessing Vulnerability to Climate Change and Facilitating Adaptation. Climatic Change; 47: 325-352. Kckler, H. (2011). MOVE: Ein Modell zur Analyse umweltbezogener Verfahrensgerechtigkeit. Umweltpsychologie; 15(2):93-113.
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References
Nussbaum, M. (2000). Frontiers of Justice: Disability, Nationality, Species Membership. Cambridge,
MA Harvard University Press.
Schlosberg D. (2007). Defining Environmental Justice: Theories, Movements, and Nature. Oxford University Press.
Sen, A (1999a). Commodities and Capabilities. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sen, A. (1999b). Development as Freedom. New York: Anchor.
Shrader-Frechette K. (2002). Environmental Justice. Creating Equality, Reclaiming Democracy. Oxford
University Press. Walker G. (2012). Environmental Justice: Concepts, Evidence and Politics. Routledge.
