Environmentally just transformations of expert cultures: Toward the theory and practice of a renewed science and engineering

Abstract

Arguing that science and technology are inherently dynamic and therefore transformable, we describe how the demands of the environmental justice (EJ) movement have changed, and are changing, technoscientific practices. In particular, we suggest that the EJ movement's insistence on recognition of racial and cultural diversity has resulted in new methods for risk assessment; that its focus on timely political action has pushed scientists to re-evaluate methods for reporting results and standards of proof; and that its emphasis on justice, sustainability, and health have encouraged technical practitioners to incorporate these fundamental values into their work. Understanding technoscience as dynamic, further, suggests strategies for EJ advocates to foster more just forms of science and technology. © Copyright 2012, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.