Technologies of Futuring: Computational Modeling Practices at the Intersection of Environmental Governance and Environmental Justice

未来技术：环境治理与环境正义交叉点的计算建模实践

• 批准号: 2240748
• 负责人: Christopher Sims
• 金额: $ 1.4万
• 依托单位: University of California-San Diego
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-15 至 2024-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2240748&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Technologies; Futuring; Computational; Modeling; Practices

Technocrats and scientists working in state-sanctioned programs for environmental governance increasingly use computational models to fulfill a plurality of legislative mandates. These mandates include assessing regulatory actions in terms of environmental justice, prompting experts to invite historically disadvantaged groups to participate in modeling environmental scenarios. Modeling practices are thus mediating whether and how environmental justice concerns are represented and enacted in environmental governance programs. However, social scientific research demonstrates that such mediation practices can obscure, rather than reveal, social and cultural differences, undermining the potential for transformative change. There is thus a need to evaluate whether and how model-mediated participation can lead to the robust implementation of state-driven, justice-oriented environmental governance programs. This project evaluates the case of California’s model-driven decarbonization plan. It examines why technocrats use environmental modeling tools for mediation and attends to how participating marginalized groups assert their desires for better political representation and social recognition. This project will contribute to the public understanding of technoscientific modes of environmental governance, shedding light on how community and activist participation can reshape the tools of the state. Insights from this project will be shared via a public website and report and will be useful to policymakers, environmental justice activists, community groups, scientists, and state agencies.The project aims to analyze the potential for justice-oriented participation through a cluster of energy, economic, and environmental models aimed at decarbonization. This study will draw on participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and extensive model analyses with technocratic experts and activists. Questions guiding this project include: 1) What happens when computational models' inputs and outputs cannot capture marginalized groups' needs? 2) How do these groups assert their knowledge to ensure robust development and implementation of decarbonization plans? Results from this study will enhance theories of civic participation in technoscientific forms of environmental justice and governance.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

参与国家批准的环境治理项目的技术官僚和科学家越来越多地使用计算模型来履行多项立法任务，包括评估环境正义方面的监管行动，促使专家邀请历史上处于不利地位的群体参与环境情景建模。因此，建模实践正在调解环境正义问题是否以及如何在环境治理计划中得到体现和实施。然而，社会科学研究表明，这种调解实践可能会掩盖而不是揭示社会和文化差异，从而破坏变革的潜力。因此，有必要评估以模型为中介的参与是否以及如何能够强有力地实施国家驱动的、以正义为导向的环境治理计划。该项目评估了加州模型驱动的脱碳计划的案例，并研究了技术官僚使用的原因。该项目将有助于公众理解环境治理的技术科学模式，揭示社区和积极分子的参与如何重塑这些工具。该项目的见解将通过公共网站和报告分享，对政策制定者、环境正义活动家、社区团体、科学家和国家机构有用。该项目旨在通过以下方式分析以正义为导向的参与的潜力。这项研究将利用参与观察、半结构化访谈以及技术专家和活动家的广泛模型分析，指导该项目包括：1）计算模型时会发生什么。 ' 输入和输出无法捕获2) 这些团体如何运用他们的知识来确保脱碳计划的稳健制定和实施？这项研究的结果将增强公民参与环境正义和治理的技术科学形式的理论。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并被认为是值得的。通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来提供支持。