TY - JOUR
TI - Ontario’s Experience of Wind Energy Development as Seen through the Lens of Human Health and Environmental Justice
AU - Songsore, E
AU - Buzzelli, M
T2 - Environmental Research and Public Health
AB - The province of Ontario has shown great commitment towards the development of renewable energy and, specifically, wind power. Fuelled by the Green Energy Act (GEA) of 2009, the Province has emerged as Canada’s leader in wind energy development (WED). Nonetheless, Ontario’s WED trajectory is characterized by social conflicts, particularly around environmental health. Utilizing the Social Amplification of Risk Framework, this paper presents an eight-year longitudinal media content analysis conducted to understand the role Ontario’s media may be playing in both reflecting and shaping public perceptions of wind turbine health risks. We find that before and after the GEA, instances of health risk amplification were far greater than attenuations in both quantity and quality. Discourses that amplified turbine health risks often simultaneously highlighted injustices in the WED process, especially after the GEA. Based on these findings, we suggest that Ontario’s media may be amplifying perceptions of wind turbine health risks within the public domain. We conclude with policy recommendations around public engagement for more just WED.
DA - 2016/07//
PY - 2016
VL - 13
IS - 7
SP - 684
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/13/7/684
DO - 10.3390/ijerph13070684
LA - English
KW - Wind Energy
KW - Land-Based Wind
KW - Human Dimensions
KW - Environmental Justice
KW - Social & Economic Data
ER -