The Institute of Development Studies and Partner Organisations
Browse

Uncertainty in Environmental Studies

chapter
posted on 2024-10-04, 13:50 authored by Stirling Andy
Threats to climate, biodiversity, soils, air and water join long-standing issues of poverty and vulnerability in demanding urgent action. Radical transformations are required in global institutions and infrastructures for provision of energy, food, water, mobility and livelihoods. So, political, economic and social – as well as environmental – stakes are high. Yet it is rarely the case that all details of the issues in question can be definitively pinned down (Gee et al., 2013). There usually remains significant scope for questions over: appropriate knowledges; causal processes; possible implications; and relevant actions. These are the dilemmas of what is often ambiguously called ‘uncertainty’, but more accurately described as ‘incertitude’ (Harremoes et al., 2001). As we will see, specialist usages of ‘uncertainty’ can elide crucially different features of context – allowing irresponsible “pretence of knowledge” (Hayek, 1978). An overarching term like ‘incertitude’ helps avoid this.

Funding

Default funder

History

Publisher

Routledge

Citation

Stirling, A. (2018) 'Uncertainty in Environmental Studies', in Castree, N, Hulme, M. and Proctor, J.D. (eds) Companion to Environmental Studies, Routledge

IDS Item Types

Book chapter

Copyright holder

Taylor & Francis Group

Language

en

Project identifier

Default project::9ce4e4dc-26e9-4d78-96e9-15e4dcac0642::600

Usage metrics

    ESRC STEPS Centre

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Keywords

    Licence

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC