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The Global Level

Years 1 - 5

In the global phase of the project, we map the global petrochemical industry and the international environmental justice movement. The focus is on global petrochemical companies, environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and related professional scientific, economic, and legal 'experts'.

Here we combine qualitative and quantitative methods, analysing global networks and discourses as units of analysis rather than individual case studies. Most research on environmental movements and petrochemical pollution is focused on single case studies. Our approach provides a broader understanding of the petrochemical industry and the environmental movement on a global scale.

Throughout this research, we analyse competing claims, discourses, and actions related to toxic expertise on a global and transnational level. This stage of the research:

  • maps the global contours and networks of the petrochemical industry, focusing on leading petrochemical companies, their supply chains, their headquarters, and their primary sites of productions;
  • examines the key environmental, health, and justice campaigns of leading IENGOs, focusing in particular on campaigns related to toxic hazards and health;
  • examines debates about corporate social responsibility, sustainability, business ethics, and environmental monitoring within both the global petrochemical industry and IENGOs;
  • examines the relationships between professional experts, corporations, and IENGOs.