Search

While literature has explored the influence of imagination and economic thought on (environmental) law, less attention has been paid to the influence of the economic imagination – specifically economic imaginaries – and their capacity to shape environmental regulation. Taking EU pesticides policy and regulation as a case study and drawing on theory regarding the performative power of imaginaries, this piece identifies economic imaginaries expressed in EU policy and demonstrates how those imaginaries have shaped that policy to pursue economic growth and competitiveness. It examines the evolution of a key piece of pesticides legislation and charts how establishing measures to pursue those economic goals gradually prevails, while providing for transparency – a crucial principle for supporting environmental protection – is deprioritised. It argues that these developments were driven by the EU's economic imaginaries and shows how economic considerations can subtly and indirectly undermine environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecological risk assessments (ERAs) are crucial when developing national strategies to manage adverse effects from pesticide exposure to natural populations. Yet, estimating risk with surrogate species in controlled laboratory studies jeopardizes the ERA process because natural populations exhibit intraspecific variation within and across species. Here, we investigate the extent to which the ERA process underestimates the risk from pesticides on different species by conducting a meta‐analysis of all records in the ECOTOX Knowledgebase for honey bees and wild bees exposed to neonicotinoids. We found the knowledgebase is largely populated by acute lethality data on the Western honey bee and exhibits within and across species variation in LD50 up to 6 orders of magnitude from neonicotinoid exposure. We challenge the reliability of surrogate species as predictors when extrapolating pesticide toxicity data to wild pollinators and recommend solutions to address the (a)biotic interactions occurring in nature that make such extrapolations unreliable in the ERA process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most important aim of the integrated management of forest insect pests remains the prevention of insect outbreaks, which are a consequence of the interaction of many factors in forest ecosystems, including species composition, age and health of the forest, soil type, the presence of natural enemies, and climatic factors. Integrated pest management until now has been achieved using measures aimed at shaping the functioning of stands in a changing environment. The aim of this review is to summarize research on the use of entomopathogens (microorganisms and nematodes) in the management of forest insect pests and to identify the principal knowledge gaps. We briefly describe the main research directions on the use of pathogens and nematodes to control insect pests and discuss limitations affecting their implementation. Research on entomopathogens for the biocontrol of forest insects has provided a wealth of knowledge that can be used effectively to reduce insect populations. Despite this, few entomopathogens are currently used in integrated pest management in forestry. They are applied in inoculation or inundation biocontrol strategies. While the use of entomopathogens in forest pest management shows great promise, practical implementation remains a distant goal. Consequently, sustainable reduction of forest pests, mainly native species, will be largely based on conservation biological control, which aims to modify the environment to favor the activity of natural enemies that regulate pest populations. This type of biocontrol can be supported by a range of silvicultural measures to increase the resilience of stands to insect infestations. © 2023 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the European Union (EU), agricultural practices contribute significantly to the pollution of water resources by nitrates, phosphorus and pesticides. This article sheds light on the degree of horizontal legal coherence between the main EU legal and policy instruments applicable to the protection of water resources from agricultural pollution. After identifying key coherence challenges at the EU level, the article thoroughly assesses the regulatory and governance approach in Norway. The key question is how certain EU‐level coherence challenges could be mitigated at a national level through mechanisms aimed at facilitating cross‐sectoral coordination and policy coherence. Three types of mechanisms have been selected for this purpose: (i) legal mechanisms, including cross‐referencing and joint institutional responsibility for implementation; (ii) the establishment of platforms for cross‐sectoral policy coordination or actor participation; and (iii) the establishment of monitoring and reporting processes that ensure access to information and data sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on selected discourses of non‐essentialist ecofeminism, this article proposes and substantiates an ecofeminist position. This distinct position is shown to bring with it a capacity to challenge widely uncontested, corporate‐produced truths regarding the benefits and the legitimacy of certain commercial activities. Three historical cases inform the discussion: the fights led by Rachel Carson against dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, by Erin Brockovich against hexavalent chromium, and by Vandana Shiva against genetically modified organisms. Distinguishing characteristics of this emblematically individual and critical activist practice include that it is aimed at fighting environmental degradations; it originates from outrage; it is sustained by dedication and courage; and it combines pedagogy, politics, and ethics. We show how this practice may be understood by reference to acknowledged ecofeminist tenets and in particular with the advocating of a holistic, respectful association with all forms of life on Earth. This is in stark contradistinction to dualist, corporate positions of self‐interested detachment from the environment, and a corresponding denial of the entanglement of the social and physical worlds. We show how such an ecofeminist position has been capable of disrupting both established corporate truths and the discursive power relationships attached to them; and how it engenders an imperative that corporations must confront and engage with the deliberate, anthropogenic consequences of their activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: Imports of pesticides, especially herbicides, almost tripled in value across West Africa between 2005 and 2015. This remarkable increase has been driven by falling prices of generic pesticides, rising costs of farm labour for weeding, rising demand for farm produce, and the recent invasion of an exotic pest from the Americas, the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda). Despite rapid growth in pesticide markets, policy enforcement has not kept pace. As a result, fraudulent pesticides—often underdosed—now account for roughly one‐third of pesticides sold in the region. Fraud on this scale compromises agricultural growth, human health and environmental safety. Purpose: This article aims to assess the consequences of rapidly growing pesticide markets for farmers, traders and policy‐makers. Approach and methods: Seven national studies of pesticide markets and policy implementation—in Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal—provide empirical evidence for this article. Following reviews of existing documents and statistics, each study involved structured interviews with regulators, policy‐makers, traders and farmers. Multiple feedback sessions with key regional stakeholder groups vetted core findings. Findings: The investigations reveal rapid changes in the structure and performance of pesticide supply chains, including a major proliferation of generic brands and unlicensed traders, high levels of fraud, and wide variability in pesticide quality. In response, four broad regulatory models are emerging across Africa: (1) purely national testing, registration and monitoring; (2) harmonized regional protocols for testing, with national registration and monitoring; (3) regional testing and registration with national monitoring; and (4) regional testing, registration and monitoring. Purely national models are most common, but they prove costly for Africa's many small countries. In all models, weaknesses in post‐registration monitoring and enforcement mean that risks to human health and the environment go largely unmonitored. Policy implications: The findings suggest several practical avenues for improving agricultural input quality and environmental safety. In the short term, stakeholder coalitions of responsible traders, farmer groups and regulators can campaign for authentic products, researchers need to step up environmental monitoring of pesticide use and impacts, and pest control specialists appear poised to continue encouraging integrated pest management to economize on use of chemicals. In the medium term, moves to regional harmonization and co‐operation reduce opportunities for smuggling and enable regional pooling of scarce technical personnel, while policy‐makers seek feasible ways of expanding resources for registration and monitoring systems commensurate with the rapid increases in pesticide use. In political economy terms, current pest invasions open a window of opportunity potentially enabling necessary structural reform of pesticide policies and regulatory systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Very minute changes in the ecological conditions have a larger impact on the agriculture, trade and economy. This is a new perspective paper focusing more on next generation innovations in Agriculture, Economy, Ecology and Trade for better world. There is need to drive the economic growth so that nonrenewable resources do not trigger irreversible damage to the environmental resources and menace the welfare of the future generations. Integration of the environment policies, trade practices and individual actions must be enhanced for environment reliable technology and innovative solutions, which are necessary to determine the viability of the future in our planet. Radio Frequency Identification Technology, soil and water sensors, NL5000 G5, precision agriculture, bio‐security, robotic solutions, mobile technology, cloud computing, pervasive automation, block chain technology; e‐agriculture and environmental security measures are the new emerging latest technologies, which enhance the economic growth by integrating the trade, ecology and agriculture. Modern and innovative world is the only option to meet all the goals in the agriculture sector. These technologies make the agriculture more profitable, safe, efficient, and eco‐ friendly. Farmers need to improve themselves to be well skilled in using innovative technologies. Government should support investments in the agriculture and ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pine weevil Hylobius abietis is an important pest causing severe damage to conifer seedlings in reforestation areas in Europe and Asia. Plants that have no evolutionary history with the pine weevil are of special interest in the search for compounds with a strong antifeedant activity. Thus, the essential oils of nine aromatic plants, viz Amomum subulatum, Cinnamomum tamala, Curcuma longa, Laurus nobilis, Ocimum basilicum, Origanum majorana, Origanum vulgare, Syzygium aromaticum and Trachyspermum ammi were extracted by hydrodistillation. The essential oil constituents were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and antifeedant properties towards the pine weevil were assessed using choice feeding bioassay. The essential oils of C. longa, O. majorana, S. aromaticum and T. ammi showed an excellent antifeedant activity towards the pine weevil for 24 hr, whereas the essential oil of other plants showed the activity for 6 hr. There was a positive correlation between the amount of benzenoid compounds and the antifeedant activity of the essential oils. This study suggests that pine weevil non‐host plant compounds have potential to be used for the protection of seedlings against pine weevil feeding. However, further study will be needed to explore the antifeedant activity of individual components and oils in the laboratory as well as in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reduction of adverse health and environmental effects from pesticide use is currently a top priority on the agricultural policy agenda. Efficient pesticide policies must take into account farmers' application behavior, especially effects of pesticide use on economic risk. However, previous results regarding the direction of risk effects of pesticides are ambiguous. We show that the ambiguity in earlier studies could be due to the pesticide indicator selected. Indicators which fail to account for the heterogeneous properties of pesticides may be inapt for interpreting farmers' pesticide use decisions. Our analysis, based on a rich panel dataset of Swiss wheat producers with highly detailed information on pesticide use, considers different pesticide indicators and multiple sources of uncertainty. Our key finding is that indicator choice affects the magnitude and sign of estimated risk effects. Estimates of pesticide productivity and risk effects are significantly higher for fungicides, and even reversed for herbicides when we measure pesticide use in simple quantity units (kilogram per hectare) ‐ compared to the quality and intensity corrected Load Index. This means for example, that farmers will ceteris paribus use lower quantities of herbicides, but will increase the overall toxicity of the products applied with increasing risk aversion. We discuss implications of our findings for the design of pesticide policies and agricultural risk management instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pests create biodiversity effects that increase food production risks and decrease productivity when agricultural production is specialized. Pesticides contain these effects, but damage the environment and human health. When opening to trade, governments are tempted to restrict pesticide use because, with more food being imported, less pesticide is needed for domestic consumption. However, pesticide restrictions hinder the competitiveness of their agricultural sector on international markets. We show that restrictions on pesticides are more stringent under free trade than under autarky, which reduces the gains from trade, and that trade increases food price volatility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding worker health and safety in the rapidly growing legal U.S. cannabis industry is important. Although little published research exists, workers may be exposed to biological, chemical, and physical hazards. This study investigated the Colorado cannabis industry workforce and both physical and psychosocial hazards to worker health and safety. Methods: Two hundred and fourteen Colorado cannabis workers completed an online survey after in‐person and online recruitment. Participants answered questions about their occupation, job tasks, general well‐being, occupational health and safety, cannabis use, and tobacco use. Results: Colorado cannabis workers were generally job secure and valued safety. However, they regularly consumed cannabis, expressed low concerns about workplace hazards, reported some occupational injuries and exposures, and reported inconsistent training practices. Conclusions: Working in the cannabis industry is associated with positive outcomes for workers and their organizations, but there is an imminent need to establish formal health and safety training to implement best practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy scholars recognize that most policy arenas are characterized by competition among interests advancing different problem frames with conflicting problem definitions and/or solutions. At the same time, there is little research that empirically analyzes the dynamics of such framing contests. Using a case study of energy policy advocacy by the Sierra Club and Environmental Defense Fund across three decades, I examine the tactics that interest groups employ when faced with agenda conflict. Contrary to what most policy research suggests, I find that interest groups do not avoid public clashes with their competitors; rather, they often willingly engage in confrontational framing techniques. I call this activity frame contestation, and it involves attempts at discrediting opponents' factual claims, policy ideas, and/or group character. The study reveals interesting differences between groups in the specific types of frame contestation employed. In particular, the use of character frames that attack an opponents' reputation appears to be linked to group ideology and orientation toward the business community. These findings enhance our understanding of advocacy group decision making and focus our attention on the role of frame contestation in agenda setting and policymaking outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leafcutter ants in the genus Atta ( Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Attini) are considered major pests of agriculture and forestry in the Neotropics. Phorid flies ( Diptera: Phoridae) have been proposed as viable candidates for biological control of ants because of the importance of their trait-mediated effects on their hosts. However, the impact of different densities of phorid flies has never been assessed in the field. Experiments were conducted by isolating 3-m sections of Atta vollenweideri Forel foraging trails with tunnels, and sampling ants in trails with 0, 1, or 4 Eibesfeldtphora trilobata Disney female parasitoid flies. Samples were collected every 30 min from these trails. We also collected a sample before introducing the parasitoids and another one 30 min after removing them from the trail. We measured traffic of ants on the trails, weight and type of plant material transported, and the proportion and size of the workers collected. The presence of phorids on the trails reduced the ant traffic and amount of plant material transported into the nests and decreased the proportion of workers on the trails in the size range preferred as hosts by the flies. The effect on worker size, as well as the lag effect recorded after phorids were removed from the tunnels, was more pronounced with four phorids. The presence of phorids also affected the weight of monocotyledon and dicotyledon material transported. Even at the minimum density possible, phorids significantly influenced a key aspect of the colony life, the food intake through foraging. From an applied point of view, our results show that releases of these phorids into the field should not necessarily involve many individuals to reduce foraging by A. vollenweideri, making them potentially useful candidates for biological control of these ants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we attempt to conceptualize the historical development and the governance structure of the transnational organic cotton network from Benin. We aim to discover how the organic cotton production-consumption network is governed locally and internationally. Existing bodies of literature on international agricultural production networks, in particular the Global Value Chains (GVC) perspective, focus on economic dimensions, but find it difficult to incorporate the sustainability dimension. We favour widening the concept of GVCs beyond economics by acknowledging and including environmental rationalities and the representatives of their interests, not as external elements, but rather as co-governing or co-structuring factors (or actors) of sustainable value chains. Our findings reveal that beyond the traditional producer versus buyer dualism, intermediate stakeholders, namely transnational and local environmental NGO networks, are instrumental in the construction, maintenance and transformation of the organic cotton network. It is also apparent that farmers' leaders play an important role in mediating and (re)building trust among organic farmers, though they exert insufficient vertical power in the organic cotton network to control it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including altruistic intention, statistical risk assessment and individuals response towards flood risk and its mitigation policies.

I address two questions in this article. First, how do policy changes in Canada differ from those in the United States? Second, are such changes isolated from American influence? I argue that Canadian policy changes will be more driven by subnational bureaucrats, more dependent upon fortuitous alignments of interests and institutions, and less quickly emulated by other jurisdictions than policy changes in the United States. I will also argue that policy changes in Canada are not completely isolated from those in the United States, not given the ability of ideas to cross international borders to change the framing of issues. I examine these arguments in the context of changing river management policies in British Columbia and Ontario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Issue redefinition and venue shopping have been identified as key strategies for enacting agenda and policy change, but much work remains to be done in elaborating these processes. I argue that an important aspect of issue redefinition involves shifting not only the image of an issue but also the bases for considering those issues—what I call policy principles. Policy principles are the core values, beliefs, or guidelines attached to policies that help direct decision making. The emergence and acceptance of new principles by the public and policymakers can be a vital source of policy change, at times having far greater consequences for policy than redefining an issue. Venue shopping is also a multifaceted undertaking involving efforts by policy entrepreneurs and advocacy groups to keep issues out of venues they would rather not participate in as well as move decision making to new arenas. Moreover, while the literature suggests that shifting venues is usually a sensible strategy, sometimes venue shopping can backfire. A case study of the municipal movement to restrict the nonessential use of lawn and garden pesticides in Canada illustrates these theoretical points and shows the applicability of agenda setting models to contexts outside the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dams have displaced millions of people in many countries of the world, but such social costs of dam construction constitute a relatively new international issue. The emergence of displacement as a salient issue is explained with reference to three factors: historical circumstances, political leaders' ability to mobilize support for their priority concerns and to public participation. Participation refers to both the public's action to influence critical policy decisions and to its sense of efficacy. Cases are considered in three major dam-building countries: the United States, India and China. In the United States, social displacement never became a public or political issue. Instead, dams have been challenged on environmental grounds. In India, by contrast, dams have stirred enormous controversy due to their social costs. The article also considers experience in China, site of the world's largest dam project, and the recent report of an international commission, the World Commission on Dams. The report's release in November 2000 marks the emergence of social displacement as a global concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental policy in the United States has always been characterized by high levels of political conflict. At the same time, however, policy makers have shown a capacity to learn from their own and others' experience. This article examines U.S. environmental policy since 1970 as a learning process and, more specifically, as an effort to develop three kinds of capacities for policy learning. The first decade and a half may be seen in terms of technical learning, characterized by a high degree of technical and legal proficiency, but also narrow problem definitions, institutional fragmentation, and adversarial relations among actors. In the 1980s, growing recognition of deficiencies in technical learning led to a search for new goals, strategies, and policy instruments, in what may be termed conceptual learning. By the early 1990s, policy makers also recognized a need for a new set of capacities at social learning, reflecting trends in European environmental policy, international interest in the concept of sustainability, and dissatisfaction with the U.S. experience. Social learning stresses communication and interaction among actors. Most industrial nations, including the United States, are working to develop and integrate capacities for all three kinds of learning. Efforts to integrate capacities for conceptual and social learning in the United States have had mixed success, however, because the institutional and legal framework for environmental policy still is founded on technical learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]