Local Environmental Groups, the Creation of Social Capital, and Environmental Policy: Evidence from Vermont

Scholars who have studied local environmental groups and their effects in the United States have tended to agree about three related, stylized facts: that such groups are widespread, that they are pursuing a diverse set of activities, and, at least implicitly, that they are creating social capital that significantly affects environmental policy and outcomes. However, a healthy skepticism of these claims among academics and within the policy community exists due to a lack of significant data to verify them. In this article, (1) we collect and interpret data to demonstrate, in two counties of central Vermont, that local environmental groups are indeed pursuing a diverse set of activities, developing a typology of these groups based on their main focus; (2) we show the groups are developing and maintaining social capital; and (3) we illustrate how these methodologies can enhance the literature on local environmental groups by testing claims about the extent and influence of these groups.local environmental groups, social capital, local organizations, Vermont

The Changing Composition and Influence of Land-Based Groups: Evidence from Two Counties in Vermont

civic engagement, social capital, environmental policy

Trends in state and federal OSH enforcement

Background: OSHA evaluates State Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) enforcement annually through the Federal Annual Monitoring Evaluation (FAME) process. This process is used to determine whether Kentucky OSH (KY OSH) is meeting or exceeding OSHA performance. The FAME report for KY OSH based its evaluations on only 14.5% of the total number of cases in 2015 and did not test for statistical significance. Objective: Determine the statistical significance of the 2015 FAME report deficiencies in the KY OSH program. Method: The OSHA dataset consists of case detail for all inspections conducted from 1970 to present (updated daily). ANOVA (analysis of variance) regressions were performed to test the FAME trends for significance. The SAS 9.4 computer program was used for all statistical analysis. Results: The models are either quadratic or linear regression trends from 1970 to 2016. Total, health, and safety inspections decreased in federal OSHA and KY OSH. Federal and KY number of violations for all safety or construction inspections decreased. Federal and KY number of violations per health inspection decreased. Federal and KY lapse time for all health inspections decreased per year. There was a decrease in willful violations cited by KY, not federal. The adjusted R-squared values explained from 0.3% to 59% of the variance, model power estimates varied from 50% to \u3e99.9%, and the p-values ranged from \u3c0.014 to \u3c0.0001. Conclusion: Overall, this study did not concur with the FAME Report. Since the OSH Act, effective enforcement may have led to decreased un-programmed activity through increased compliance

Mapping opportunities and challenges for rewilding in Europe

Farmland abandonment takes place across the world due to socio-economic and ecological drivers. In Europe agricultural and environmental policies aim to prevent abandonment and halt ecological succession. Ecological rewilding has been recently proposed as an alternative strategy. We developed a framework to assess opportunities for rewilding across different dimensions of wilderness in Europe. We mapped artificial light, human accessibility based on transport infrastructure, proportion of harvested primary productivity (i.e., ecosystem productivity appropriated by humans through agriculture or forestry), and deviation from potential natural vegetation in areas projected to be abandoned by 2040. At the continental level, the levels of artificial light were low and the deviation from potential natural vegetation was high in areas of abandonment. The relative importance of wilderness metrics differed regionally and was strongly connected to local environmental and socio-economic contexts. Large areas of projected abandonment were often located in or around Natura 2000 sites. Based on these results, we argue that management should be tailored to restore the aspects of wilderness that are lacking in each region. There are many remaining challenges regarding biodiversity in Europe, but megafauna species are already recovering. To further potentiate large-scale rewilding, Natura 2000 management would need to incorporate rewilding approaches. Our framework can be applied to assessing rewilding opportunities and challenges in other world regions, and our results could guide redirection of subsidies to manage social-ecological systems