Environmental protection is an increasingly salient topic for contemporary society, especially in the context of the climate crisis. People all around the world are engaging in environmental...Show moreEnvironmental protection is an increasingly salient topic for contemporary society, especially in the context of the climate crisis. People all around the world are engaging in environmental activism, yet environmentalism research has disproportionately centered on the West. Considering how most countries on the front lines of climate change are non-Western, this gap must be rectified. Southeast Asia (SEA) is a region severely overlooked in this regard, particularly in terms of what environmentalism actually brings here. There is insufficient knowledge on how SEA states respond to environmental activism, despite the relevance for its citizens and environmental sector practitioners, who witness some of the worst repercussions of environmental degradation. Therefore, this paper aims to expand our understanding of state responses to SEA environmentalism and contentious political action by investigating Vietnam and the Philippines. A comparative study was conducted on these two cases, which employed qualitative content analysis on texts like news articles to study responses to environmentalism. Findings reveal that both countries display a variety of responses, but are most inclined to repress. However, they differ considerably in how they approach each response type in terms of methods, actors involved, and consistency. It is proposed that each country’s distinct response pattern is linked to its respective regime type, as suggested by existing literature on contentious political action. Beyond the popular notion that non-democracies are more likely to repress contentious claim-making, this study illustrates how hybrid regimes can be more covert and lethal in their repression than other regimes. From these findings, this paper stresses the importance of local socio-political contexts for those engaged in environmental protection and advocacy. Additionally, this investigation hopes to spur similar research on other SEA countries and expand the political science literature on this region.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to identify the ways that the Confluence Park in Kaunas, Lithuania engenders a sense of (urban) belonging among the adolescent population, ages 19-22, in Kaunas....Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to identify the ways that the Confluence Park in Kaunas, Lithuania engenders a sense of (urban) belonging among the adolescent population, ages 19-22, in Kaunas. Confluence Park is a green area with recreational facilities within the centre of Kaunas, located in between the two rivers of Nemunas and Neris. By employing a qualitative research design in the form of online interviews, the study reveals a multitude of ways of how adolescents of Kaunas experience a sense of belonging through the park. The findings highlight that the Confluence Park, as a public space, its various places, engender belonging through diverse engagements with the environment and memories created with different social groups in the park.Show less
Despite widespread public concern and scientific consensus about the ecological crisis, current efforts to curb global emissions are falling short. National and international efforts are permeated...Show moreDespite widespread public concern and scientific consensus about the ecological crisis, current efforts to curb global emissions are falling short. National and international efforts are permeated by a lack of ambition and urgency. Psychosocial scholars have argued that this reflects a state of ecoparalysis, a result of ecoanxiety and fear of ecological destruction. However, this thesis argues that the ecological crisis and our responses to it cannot be seen in isolation from the hegemony of capitalism. Capitalism’s need for unlimited growth drives the ecological crisis. Under the current stage of capitalism, neoliberal rationality permeates our every interaction, neoliberal logics govern every sphere of life, and becomes common-sense. This thesis explores how this influences our responses to the ecological crisis. It argues that the hegemony of capitalism distorts reality in such a way that capitalism becomes what is real, and as a consequence we cannot conceive of ourselves or of the world outside of capitalism. This fosters an inability to see alternatives, thus, preventing us from collectively and meaningfully responding to the ecological crisis.Show less
This study examines the efficacy of a climate label intervention to affect consumer buying behaviour in an Amsterdam based grocery store. Three label categories were introduced, green, yellow, and...Show moreThis study examines the efficacy of a climate label intervention to affect consumer buying behaviour in an Amsterdam based grocery store. Three label categories were introduced, green, yellow, and red, representing low, medium, and high climate impact, respectively. Data from one month before the label implementation of the labelling system and one month after were collected and analysed. The results show no significant differences between the three label groups when analysing a change score between pre- and post-label implementation. However, when combining red and negative labels into a negative label group to raise power, we find marginally significant differences between changes in the positive label group and the negative label group, showing that the intervention may have had a marginally statistically significant negative impact on negative label product purchases. In addition to these findings, our research expresses the importance of policy changes, including climate labels, to influence climate change and explores future avenues for research.Show less
This thesis describes the deductive research concerning the role of stakeholders in the policy process of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). It aims to answer the following research question: what...Show moreThis thesis describes the deductive research concerning the role of stakeholders in the policy process of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). It aims to answer the following research question: what is the role of stakeholders in the policy failures regarding the sustainability of the Common Fisheries Policy? To that end, interviews and a document analysis are completed. The case of the 2013 CFP reform is chosen because it is innovative in the contribution of stakeholders. The growing participation of environmental NGOs led to the adoption of new environmental measures such as Maximum Sustainable Yield and the landing obligation (Orach et al., 2017). Hence, the 2013 CFP should have led to a sustainable management of fisheries. However, in reality the CFP has not been able to achieve the results it set out to do. In spite of progress in the Atlantic seas, the CFP has not prevented overfishing of stocks in the Mediterranean and Black Sea (COM, 2018). For this reason this thesis treats the CFP as policy failure. In order to explain policy failure, the mechanistic approach is used. When the policy process is regarded as a system of mechanisms, it becomes possible to identify causal relations (Van der Heijden, 2021). Within this approach, first-order mechanisms directly alter stakeholder behaviour during the decision making process. In a second-order mechanism, the effects of this behaviour achieve a particular policy outcome (Capano, 2020). Specifically, certain first-order mechanisms such as competition and blame avoidance behaviour are connected to certain second-order mechanisms, negative framing and countermobilization, resulting in a negative feedback loop, thus failure (Compton & ‘t Hart, 2019). However, it turns out to be difficult to fit the mechanisms at work in the CFP policy process in one feedback loop. Mechanisms from different feedback loops occur at the same time, rendering it impractical to find a straightforward cause of policy failure. Moreover, in reality the difference between first and second-order mechanisms is ambiguous. Therefore, it is concluded the mechanistic approach has limited explanatory value concerning the role of stakeholders in a policy failure. Nevertheless, it is indicated the behaviour of stakeholders during the policy process impacts their evaluation of policy. In this case, the environmental NGOs displayed willingness to reform, whereas the fisheries representatives were more reluctant. Environmental NGOs consider the CFP failed because the implementation is deficient and compliance is low, although the policy itself is sufficient. On the contrary, fisheries representatives explain the fault is in the policy design. That is why it is argued reluctance corresponds with policy failure and willingness with programmatic failure. Second, stakeholders engage in image building. Throughout the process, actors create perceptions about each other, which clash with their own perspectives. The divergent expectations limit the capacity to collaborate because actors feel they can never live up to expectations. As this impacts compliance negatively, this might be another reason why the CFP has not succeeded.Show less
This explorative research aims to expand the knowledge about the influence of the direct environment on the challenging behaviour of people with a severe/profound intellectual disability by...Show moreThis explorative research aims to expand the knowledge about the influence of the direct environment on the challenging behaviour of people with a severe/profound intellectual disability by exploring the relationship between challenging behaviour and consensus between caretakers concerning their opinion about caring. Adaptive developmental level, gender, and the proximity of the direct environment were also assessed as potential factors relating to challenging behaviour. 76 persons with severe/profound intellectual disability were part of this research and their caretakers were interviewed and asked to fill out several questionnaires about the behaviour of the person. The results showed that adaptive developmental level, gender, and the proximity of the caretakers do not significantly correlate with the relationship between consensus and challenging behaviour. However, a Mann-Whitney U analysis showed a significant relationship between more consensus and less anti-social behaviour. The results have to be interpreted with caution, because of the low validity of some instruments. Therefore, further research is recommended in order to gain more insight into the relationship between consensus between caretakers and challenging behaviour of people with a severe/profound intellectual disability.Show less
Many disciplines have set out to address the environmental crisis as people witness the impact of decades-long negligence and exploitation of nature. In some cases, this directly affects not only...Show moreMany disciplines have set out to address the environmental crisis as people witness the impact of decades-long negligence and exploitation of nature. In some cases, this directly affects not only their personal health but also livelihoods, security, and development. As the WMO report on climate change from 2021 shows, the distribution of the negative impact of environmental crisis is considerably unequal, and certain communities become much more vulnerable. One such example is the Gikuyu community in central Kenya. This thesis will focus on the indigenous epistemology of the environment by closely studying the Gikuyu creation myths in order to illustrate how these sources of oral tradition represent the relationship between humans and nature, and thus highlight the value of nature in African cultures. The main conclusion leading from an ecocritical analysis of the myth will demonstrate how oral tradition can serve as a propagator of ecological values in a particular community.Show less
According to Kaplan's (1995) Attentional Restorative Theory and Stress Recovery Theory (1981), nature has restorative effects on Mental Fatigue (MF). A report published by Urbanization and Health...Show moreAccording to Kaplan's (1995) Attentional Restorative Theory and Stress Recovery Theory (1981), nature has restorative effects on Mental Fatigue (MF). A report published by Urbanization and Health showed that in 2010, more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas and that this percentage will only increase. In addition, more and more people report suffering from MF (Cox et al., 2017). This study examined whether a natural environment has restorative effects on subjective MF in a videogame as well. 86 participants were pseudo- randomly assigned to a natural (N = 41) or urban (N = 45) environment while playing the videogame. The PANAS-X fatigue questionnaire was used to determine the MF levels before and after participants played the videogame. Subjective MF was expected to be significantly lower in the nature group. The results were compared using repeated-measures ANOVA. Participants in the natural condition and the urban condition both reported lower MF mean differences. The difference did not appear to be due to the condition in which they were assigned. In both conditions, the reported MF mean levels were significantly lower after playing the videogame.Show less
This paper investigates the mechanisms behind the relationship between economic inequality and environmental degradation in Brazil. The country experienced a significant reduction in inequality and...Show moreThis paper investigates the mechanisms behind the relationship between economic inequality and environmental degradation in Brazil. The country experienced a significant reduction in inequality and poverty since 1980, which resulted in higher levels of household income and, consequently, consumption. Research of available data suggests that for Brazil, a decrease in inequality and poverty resulted in an increase of consumption of, among other things, beef products. While this most likely led to increased deforestation in the beginning of the 2000s to meet the demand, due to environmental regulations, agreements, and policies, deforestation rates declined between 2004 and 2012. These rates started to increase again after 2012, the year in which the Forest Code was revised and regulations concerning deforestation were relaxed, implying the power of government interventions. While deforestation rates can be decoupled from beef product consumption, CO2 emissions have steadily increased over the studied time frame, also as a consequence of the expansion of the agricultural sector. Biodiversity loss has remained neutral thus far, and Brazil is still considered the world’s most biodiverse country. However, the risk to losing biodiversity might increase in the future if deforestation rates continue to rise. Besides consumption patterns, an unequal power distribution in the country gives big business and rich elites the power to influence policies in their benefit, maintaining or exacerbating inequalities or environmentally damaging activities.Show less
Anthropogenic environmental destruction on a global scale continues at an ever-increasing pace, driven by a disconnect between the valuation of short-term economic gains and their ecological impact...Show moreAnthropogenic environmental destruction on a global scale continues at an ever-increasing pace, driven by a disconnect between the valuation of short-term economic gains and their ecological impact. Increasingly, the introduction of indigenous intellectual perspectives to the global stage – many of whom have been custodians of ecologically important land for centuries – is being treated as a potential solution to this conundrum. In this evolving context, this thesis seeks to understand the role of African indigenous knowledge in global environmental protection. To answer this, a review of the practical and philosophical contributions of African indigenous communities to ecology is conducted, followed by a discourse analysis of the 2019 Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, to identify how these knowledges are treated in a global context. Analysis of the report and of academic literature shows that African indigenous knowledges, while potentially incredibly valuable as environmental protection, are poorly represented on a global level, both in their content, and in comparison with other regions.Show less
Artistic practice today is uniquely situated to pose critical, alternative responses to contemporary ecological problems. A compelling example from Mexico City is the 2015 performance piece Plan...Show moreArtistic practice today is uniquely situated to pose critical, alternative responses to contemporary ecological problems. A compelling example from Mexico City is the 2015 performance piece Plan Acalote by contemporary art collective Plan Acalli, which reenacted the journey of a traditional acalli boat across Mexico City, crossing highways and avenues that were once canals. This thesis examines the ecological potential of this artwork by studying the performance and its context through a framework of materialist posthumanism. I argue that Plan Acalote crucially enabled human participants to develop environmental skills and awareness and involved ritual, pilgrimage-like encounters. I propose that, in this way, the acalli boat’s journey can thus be read as a material transformation or “becoming” of paved urban roads into an acalote, or Nahua waterway: a collaborative, situated and performative strategy towards research, environmental awareness and art. Therefore, Plan Acalote ultimately demonstrated the potential of a shift in cosmovision through art as a viable approach to furthering ecological goals.Show less
The aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating...Show moreThe aim of this thesis is to examine how the discourse of the Chinese government regarding the environment has evolved over time, and what role environmental propaganda has played in generating this discourse. This research also touches on the underlying messages and values of this propaganda, and how it communicates and constructs specific representations about the environment and environmental protection.Show less
Much research claims that the levels of democracy and corruption together influence ‘Internationalism’, ‘Policy Regulation’ and ‘Participatory Engagement’, which are the main determinants of...Show moreMuch research claims that the levels of democracy and corruption together influence ‘Internationalism’, ‘Policy Regulation’ and ‘Participatory Engagement’, which are the main determinants of national commitment to environmental degradation. This thesis, therefore, focuses on how corruption and democracy in the above mentioned three pillars affect the levels of national commitment to air pollution reduction. More specifically, this thesis takes into consideration ‘Internationalism’, ‘Policy Regulation’, and ‘Participatory Engagement’ to reveal the extent of governmental commitment to protecting the environment vis-a-vis air pollution in the form of GHG emissions in the Netherlands and Hungary since the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit.Show less
For decades, poor communities of colour have been the victim of environmental inequalities such as dumped toxic waste, proximity of pollution-producing factories, and polluted drinking water. The...Show moreFor decades, poor communities of colour have been the victim of environmental inequalities such as dumped toxic waste, proximity of pollution-producing factories, and polluted drinking water. The Environmental Justice Movement resulted from these inequalities and gives coloured communities a platform to raise attention for environmental issues. One of these communities is the Latino community. Lack of communication, economic power, and language barriers, make this community one of the biggest subjects of environmental injustice. The Latino community is the fastest growing demographic group in the United States and therefore has a large impact on future national politics. Various studies show that, because of their cultural roots, Latinos perceive environmental issues as highly important. This has a significant impact on Latino voting behaviour. The 2008 presidential election was the first election where Latinos were regarded to have a big influence on the outcome, and hereby they were recognized as a separate and important part of the electorate. In this election, the majority of Latinos voted for the Democratic Party. California had a big influence on this election, as it had the highest number of Latinos, and the majority of these Latinos voted for the Democratic Party. Furthermore, in California, which has the highest number of environmental conflicts in the U.S., Latinos are actively involved in environmental justice organizations and grassroots communities. This thesis analyses whether the Environmental Justice Movement had an impact on Latino voting behaviour in California in the 2008 election. It finds that there is a historical connection between Latinos and the environment on the one hand, and Latinos and the Democratic Party on the other hand. The Democratic Party’s environmental friendly policies and attention to minority groups provide reasons for this. These theoretical findings are substantiated by the analyses of environmental justice organizations and grassroots communities in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The findings indicate that Latino environmental justice organizations were actively operating in California. Moreover, Latinos tended to vote above national average for the Democratic Party in the 2008 election. As a result, this thesis provides indications that the Environmental Justice Movement affected Latino voting behaviour towards the Democratic Party in the 2008 election.Show less
