Workshop 31.01. - 01.02.2019
Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ Leipzig

Tackling 'toxic ignorance'

Generating evidence about chemicals
and their effects by other means

Workshop program

Organised by

Dr. Alena Bleicher, Dept. of Urban and Environmental Sociology Christelle Gramaglia, PhD , National Research Institue of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture - IRSTEA Montpellier Dr. Nona Schulte-Römer, Dept. of Urban and Environmental Sociology

Tackling toxic ignorance by other means

Missing data, undone science and non-knowledge about environmental pollution can be considered as ‘toxic ignorance’ and an obstacle to effective environmental management and preventive healthcare (Brown 2013, Gross 2007; Frickel et al. 2010; Frickel and Edwards 2014). This workshop addresses this issue by focusing on data gaps in scientific evidence production. Our point of departure is that data gaps challenge existing methods of evidence production and call for knowledge generation by other means. ‘Other means’ thereby refer to innovative and unconventional ways and methods of data production, collection and aggregation, including big data techniques, biomonitoring and citizen science approaches and the epistemic as well as political changes they may induce. We further argue that data gaps are closely intertwined with social negotiations and political decisions and have various institutional and socio-political causes. They call for a challenging identification and combination of data from different fields and depend on accessible infrastructures for collecting and sharing data.

Workshop objectives

The workshop aims to explore data gaps and ‘other means of evidence production in research on chemical management and exposure. It will thereby initiate and deepen collaborations between scientists from IRSTEA in Montpellier, the UFZ in Leipzig and their partners. Both research institutions conduct inter- and transdisciplinary environmental research on chemicals in the environment, generating knowledge about pollution, toxic exposures and health risks. Research areas include sustainable water management, landfill mining, agriculture and the remediation of contaminated post-industrial sites.

In the workshop, we will compare data generation by other means across research in France and Germany areas and discuss their societal causes and consequences. Based on presentations and the participants’ expertise we will explore how innovative and unconventional methods help tackle ‘toxic ignorance’ and how they relate to current societal, technological and environmental challenges such technological developments or climate change.

This workshop is a PEER network event.