唐纳德·沃斯特和美国的环境史研究

唐纳德·沃斯特是美国著名的环境史学家 ,对世界环境史研究作出了突出贡献。本文分为两部分 :第一部分从环境史理论、环境知识史和新西部史等三个方面介绍沃斯特的主要研究成果 ;第二部分是作者对沃斯特的访谈 ,他就环境史的兴起、农业生态史模式、世界环境主义运动的发展、“9.11事件”后美国环境史研究的新趋向等问题提出了自己的看法。     

Environmental Compliance Costs and the Distribution of Emissions in the U.S.

Using the properties of the Gini coefficient, a structural model is developed to assess the impact of uniform changes in environmental compliance costs on the distribution of per capita emissions across U.S. counties and states, a distribution that places a larger burden on minorities. Using data from the U.S. EPA's Toxic Release Inventory and three state-specific measures of environmental compliance costs, we find that uniform increases in federal environmental standards have little impact on the distribution of environmental hazards, and may actually exacerbate spatial inequality. As a result, Federal standards that target specific high pollution locations are necessary to redress current inequities.     

马丁·麦乐西与美国城市环境史研究

马丁·麦乐西教授是美国著名的环境史学家,曾经担任“美国环境史学会”(1993-1995年)、“公共史全国委员会”(1992-1993年)和“公共工程历史学会”(1988-1989年)的主席。本文分为两个部分。第一部分从理论基础、概念界定、功能发挥以及具体的历史研究成果等方面介绍了他的城市环境史成就。第二部分是作者对马丁教授的访谈,他就城市环境史与农业生态史的关系、自然环境与人工环境的关系、技术在城市环境史中的作用、环境正义运动的性质等问题进一步阐述了自己的观点。另外,本文在注释中附有朱尔·A·塔尔教授对相关问题的简要回答。     

阿·德芒戎的人文地理学思想与环境史学的关联

环境史学是 2 0世纪六七十年代在美国兴起的历史学新领域 ,是以历史学为基础的有关人类与环境关系研究的多学科交叉的产物 ,其中 ,人文地理学与环境史学密切相关。从阿·德芒戎的人文地理学思想来看 ,环境史学无论在定义、研究对象还是在方法原则上 ,都与人文地理学既有联系又有区别。联系的基础在于它们都致力于探讨人类与环境的关系。但由于它们对这一关系的具体认识和研究目的的不同 ,二者之间又有差异。认清这一问题 ,有助于我们更好地把握环境史研究的对象和侧重点 ,以推动环境史学在我国学界的发展。     

环境史和环境史研究的生态学意识

本文从三个方面探讨了环境史和环境史研究的生态学意识以及环境史研究的发展趋势。环境史是在战后环境保护运动的推动下产生的 ,是意识变革的产物 ;现代生态学为环境史研究提供了新的视角和方法论 ;生态学研究的发展对环境史研究产生了影响。     

德国的环境变迁与环境史研究--访德国环境史学家亚克西姆·纳得考教授

亚克西姆·纳得考教授是德国著名环境史学家.2002年笔者在美进行环境史学研究期间,专门就德国环境史学问题访问了纳得考教授.访谈主要涉及两方面的内容一是关于德国的环境变迁,尤其是对环境变迁的感知,如自然的思想、景观的概念、绿党的历史、生态现代化的理论、疾病与环境的关系、社会制度与环境的关系、自然保护与文化的关系等;二是从与美国比较的角度分析德国环境史学史,重点探讨环境史在德国的起源和发展、它与全球史的关系、未来的发展趋势等.这个访谈为中国学者了解德国的环境史学提供了基本线索,有助于中国学者深入认识德国环境史的特性.     

Campaign Promises,Democratic Governance,and Environmental Policy in the U.S. Congress

One important criterion for assessing the quality of democratic governance is the extent to which the policy process effectively translates citizen preferences into collective choices. Several scholars have observed a discrepancy between citizen preferences for strong environmental protection and weak policies adopted in the United States, indicating that the United States may fall short on this criterion. We examine one possible mechanism contributing to this discrepancy—legislator defection from campaign promises. Our data indicate that legislators in the U.S. Congress routinely defect from their campaign promises in environmental protection, undermining the link between citizen preferences and policy choice. We also find that legislators are much more likely to defect from pro‐environmental campaign promises, which moves government policy toward less stringent environmental programs. Finally, the propensity of legislators to defect from their campaign promises is systematic, with defection affected by partisanship, constituency influence, the influence of the majority party, and the likely consequences of defection for policy choice. These findings contribute empirical evidence relevant to the “mandate theory” perspective on how citizen preferences are translated into collective choices through the policy process. These findings may also complement research in comparative politics concluding that legislatures selected through single member districts adopt less stringent environmental policies than do legislatures chosen via proportional representation in that the mechanism for this effect may go through legislator defection from campaign promises.     

Oil in the Arctic 1. Historical,Environmental and Regional Perspectives

Abstract

An ecologist's point of view of the historical, scientific and social background to the Alaskan pipeline and offshore oil is presented ranging over many discipline and their close interplay. Starting with a deep concern about the protection of the Arctic's unique environment and the oil industry's impact upon it, the work of the Alaska Conservation Society is reviewed. The lack of biological information about Alaska's hinterland made environmental surveillance of the pipeline difficult. The political conflict between State and Federal authorities has hindered scientific effort and the author concludes that the outlook of this many-faceted interdisciplinary impact of technology on the Arctic and Alaska is at present uncertain.     

环境史续论

环境是指人类周围的空间范围,即人类赖以生存的物质世界。它包括自然环境和人工环境,但是不包括社会环境。生态中心论的提法忽视了人类的主动性和创造性,有些矫枉过正。环境恶化和环境污染,是环境史研究的两大重点。历史地理学、农史林史水利史的部分内容属于环境史,它们与环境史各有侧重,不能等同为一。考古学扩大了环境史研究的视野。环境史与上述学科的关系,体现了环境史跨学科的特点。     

环境史研究的三个层面

历史学者总是臆断人类生活在自然世界之外。环境史质疑这种假设,并且坚持人类是自然的一部分,我们对自然施加着影响,同时自然也对我们具有影响。这种新的观念聚焦在三套相互作用的变化之上：地球的各种系统（气候、地理、生态系统）伴随时间的变化,自这些系统中谋求生计的生产模式的变化,以及文化态度的变化及其在艺术、意识形态、科学和政治中的表现。这门新的历史学在其方法上是跨学科的,而在其含义上是跨国界的。