The engineering and scientific challenges of environmental justice organizations in the US: A qualitative study

The engineering and scientific challenges of environmental justice organizations in the US: A qualitative study
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美国环境正义组织的工程和科学挑战:定性研究

DOI:
10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134463
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发表时间:
2022
影响因子:
11.1
通讯作者:
Karwat, Darshan M.A.
Karwat, Darshan M.A.
中科院分区:
环境科学与生态学1区
文献类型:
--
作者:
Macias, Madison;Guerrero, Jorge Morales;Schmitt, Edwin A.;Levenda, Anthony M.;Boucher, Jean Léon;Karwat, Darshan M.A.

文献摘要

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虽然工程师和科学家与环境正义组织(EJO)合作的兴趣越来越大,虽然有一些众所周知的项目促进了工程师,科学家和服务不足的社区之间的合作,但很少有人系统地了解EJO面临的工程和科学挑战。我们通过探索性研究为这种系统性的理解奠定了基础,我们对美国各地的EJO工作人员进行了47次半结构化访谈,询问他们在打击环境不公正方面面临的工程和科学挑战。使用演绎-归纳编码,我们发现EJO正在寻找适合特定主题领域和方法的工程和科学挑战的支持。使用我们的信息提供者的话,我们然后解开选择的主题领域(空气质量,公共和环境健康,化石燃料基础设施,清洁和公正的能源转型,环境恢复和土著群体)和方法(数据收集,数据传播,数据分析,空间分析,在线平台建设,专家网络)的定性主题。我们探讨了这些主题如何与EJO在我们的研究中使用的五种不同策略(政策变化,利用媒体,教育公众,提供法律的建议和开发合作项目)重叠的模式。我们表明,EJO希望与工程师和科学家合作解决技术问题,减轻对社区的伤害,并创造积极的未来。我们的研究为战略努力的概念提供了信息,以扩大为应对EJ挑战而进行的工程和科学工作的影响,特别是考虑到目前支持该领域合作努力的资源有限。
While there is increased interest among engineers and scientists to collaborate with environmental justice organizations (EJOs), and while there are well-known programs that facilitate collaborations between engineers, scientists, and underserved communities, little is known systematically about the engineering and scientific challenges faced by EJOs. We lay the foundation for such a systematic understanding through exploratory research in which we conducted 47 semi-structured interviews with EJO staff across the United States to ask what their engineering and scientific challenges to combating environmental injustice are. Using deductive-inductive coding we discover that EJOs are looking for support to engineering and scientific challenges that fit specific topical areas and methods. Using the words of our informants, we then unpack the qualitative themes of select topical areas (air quality, public and environmental health, fossil fuel infrastructure, clean and just energy transitions, environmental restoration, and indigenous groups) and methods (data collection, data dissemination, data analysis, spatial analysis, online platform building, networking of experts). We explore the patterns of how these themes overlap with five different strategies (policy change, utilizing the media, educating the public, providing legal advice, and developing collaborative projects) used by the EJOs in our study. We show that EJOs want to collaborate with engineers and scientists to solve technical problems, mitigate harm to their communities, and create positive futures. Our research informs the conception of strategic efforts to expand the impact of engineering and scientific work done to address EJ challenges, particularly given the limited resources that currently exist to support collaborative efforts in this space.