Corinna Fischer

Science shops in Europe: the public as stakeholder

After two decades of relative silence, science shops seem to be back on the agenda of science policy-making. In this article, country-specific and country-independent factors for their success and failure and their co-operation with civil society are discussed in terms of different traditions in political culture. Science shops seem to be at a cross-roads, where their work focus and their coalitions may have to change. On the one hand, they are still connected to their roots, the social movements. On the other hand, a general trend towards business co-operation in science policy can be observed. The increasing debate about science and society interfaces lends importance to the science shop concept, as is especially visible in the recent support given them by the European Commission. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

‘Obstruction Galore’: A Case Study of Non-violent Resistance Against Nuclear Waste Disposal in Germany

The X-tausendmal quer (Obstruction Galore) campaign was one of the most important non-violent anti-nuclear resistance campaigns in Germany. A theoretical framework derived from political process theory is employed in order to analyse the campaign. The activities of the X-tausendmal quer campaign since its foundation in 1996 are examined in the context of changing political opportunities, especially with the election victory of the Red–Green coalition in 1998. The successes and failures of X-tausendmal quer are evaluated and explained in light of the theory.

Carbon capture and storage: settling the German coal vs. climate change dispute?

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is an innovation that promises to enable the low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions coal power station. However, the technology is still under development and issues such as economic viability, environmental safety, public acceptance and system integration remain unresolved at present. We analyse the viewpoints and strategies of major political and economic actors towards CCS and the future of coal in the German electricity system. We portray the actor constellation and try to determine the potential changes caused by CCS. We argue that, since CCS is still an emerging technology, viewpoints and strategies are characterised by many uncertainties at the moment. Actors are still trying to learn about CCS and are still forming their opinions. This opens up space for dialogue and moderates confrontation. A possible policy option that may result is the use of coal with CCS as a bridging technology towards a sustainable or even fully renewable energy future.

Who uses innovative energy technologies, when and why? The case of fuel cell MicroCHP in households

Users can play an important role in the diffusion of sustainable energy technologies. Using a postal survey and focus group discussions, the paper explores the characteristics, motives and expectations of household users in the case of fuel cell-driven small combined heat and power plants. (Potential) users are highly educated and well off, almost exclusively male and relatively old. Their main motive is their desire to be at the forefront of technological development that they perceive to be environmentally benign. At the same time, they feel the fuel cell lacks cost-effectiveness, reliability and user friendliness. They are willing to give the immature technology a chance, but strongly point to the necessity to remedy the deficits in order to reach a mass market. They are keen on spreading the word about the novelty, and can be expected to be successful communicators. Therefore, these pioneer users are relevant multipliers and valuable partners for technology developers.

Umwelterfahrungen und Kapitalismuskritik in ostdeutschen Milieus

Am Ende der 1990er Jahre bestatigen umweltsoziologische Analysen, dass das Umweltverhalten, aber auch das Umweltbewusstsein und das Umweltwissen in Ostdeutschland keineswegs hinter dem deutschen Durchschnitt zuruckbleiben. Auf einigen Gebieten weisen die Ostdeutschen im Schnitt ein signifikant umweltfreundlicheres Verhalten als die Westdeutschen auf. Und auch im „zusammengefassten Umweltverhalten“ schneiden sie besser ab (Preisendorfer 1999: 115). Im Niveau des allgemeinen Umweltbewusstseins zeigen sich keine Unterschiede zwischen Ost- und Westdeutschland. Diese Untersuchungsergebnisse werden von anderen Studien weitgehend gestutzt (Luber und Scherer 1997, Matthies 1994, Altenburg und Balderjahn 1991, Preisendorfer 1996). Damit ist der landlaufigen Meinung vom Okologie-Defizit in Ostdeutschland mehrfach durch sozialwissenschaftliche Studien widersprochen worden. Im Osten gibt es offensichtlich nicht unbedingt ein geringeres okologisches Handlungspotential, ja nicht einmal eine nachweislich geringere okologische Sensibilisierung, wie von verschiedenen Autoren vermutet (zum Beispiel von Wensierski 1987 und Harkness 1994). Das ist insofern erstaunlich, als dass es in Ostdeutschland eine sozialhistorisch andere Entwicklung der offentlichen Thematisierung von Umweltproblemen und auch der alltaglichen umweltrelevanten Verhaltensmuster gab.