what is environmental governance
the ways decisions about nature, resources, and environmental risks are made and enforced through interactions between governments, markets, scientific institutions, NGOs, and civil society
why is governance about power
because it determines who gets to make decisions and how environments and people are controlled or managed
examples of governance tools
land use zoning
patents
access to resources
what is governmentality
the rationalities, techniques and knowledge systems that make people and nature governable
what is the difference between governance and governmentality
governance = WHO makes decisions
governmentality = HOW power works through knowledge
what does “environmental knowledge is inseparable from power” mean
what counts as valid environmental knowledge is shaped by social hierarchies, political interests, and authority
who are environmental subjects
people who internalize environmental norms
how does mapping relate to state power
because maps allow governments to define territory, control resources, and manage populations by deciding how land and environments are represented
what does “ordering nature” mean and involve
the process of organizing and managing the natural world so that it becomes understandable and governable
what is eco-governmentality
governing through environmental knowledge
what are some eco-governmentality practices
naming minerals, mapping territories, setting threshold
what is politicization of science
the process where scientific knowledge becomes involved in political debates, power struggles, and policy decisions
what is epistemic contestation
conflicts or disagreements over what counts as valid knowledge, who is seen as an expert, and which ways of knowing should guide decisions
what is trout mapping
scientific practice of surveying and mapping where trout live in order to manage fisheries, conservation, and environmental policy
why is trout mapping contested
because it shows how environmental knowledge is tied to power, state control, and competing ways of knowing, especially between scientific management and local or Indigenous perspectives
why is measurement central to governance
because it turns complex environments and populations into numbers, categories, and indicators that governments can monitor, regulate, and control
