Risk, Language, and Power

The Nanotechnology Environmental Policy Case

By (author) Jeffery T. Morris

Publication date:

09 February 2012

Length of book:

206 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

ISBN-13: 9780739170540

Risk, Language, and Power explores discourse around the environmental risks of nanotechnology, making the case that the dominance in risk discourse of regulatory science is a limiting policy debate on environmental risks, and that specific initiatives should be undertaken to broaden debate not just on nanotechnology, but generally on the risks of new technologies. Morris argues that the treatment of environmental risk in public policy debates has failed for industrial chemicals, is failing for nanotechnology, and most certainly will fail for synthetic biology and other new technologies unless we change how we describe the impacts to people and other living things from the development and deployment of technology. However, Morris also contends that the nanotechnology case provides reason for optimism that risk can be given different, and better, treatment in environmental policy debates. Risk, Language, and Power proposes specific policy initiatives to advance a richer discourse around the environmental implications of emerging technologies. Morris believes that evidence of enriched environmental policy debates would be a decentering of language concerning risk by developing within discourse language and practice directed toward enriching the human and environmental condition.

Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Figures
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1. Introduction
Chapter 2. Risk, Regulatory Science, and Nanotechnology
Chapter 3. Language and Nanotechnology
Chapter 4. Power and Its Grip on Environmental Discourse
Chapter 5. Implications for Environmental Risk Debates
Chapter 6. Conclusions and Proposed Path Forward
Appendix. Charts Describing How Statements Can Be Organized
Bibliography

This book fills an important, but seldom explored, space between risk science and analysis, Science and Technology Studies, ethics, and public policy associated with the products of emerging technologies in the environment. Dr. Morris is both a scholar and practitioner, and as such, he carefully and insightfully calls for a paradigm shift in formulating regulatory policy for emerging technologies…I hope that policy makers, interested publics, and scholars alike will read this book to help us guide the future of emerging technologies in the environment.