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Fuel for the Fire: Biofuels and the Problem of Translation at the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Author

Listed:
  • Deborah Scott

    (PhD candidate in the Geography Department of Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey)

  • Sarah Hitchner

    (Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Center for Integrative Conservation Research at the University of Georgia)

  • Edward M. Maclin

    (PhD candidate in the Anthropology Department at the University of Georgia)

  • Juan Luis Dammert B.

    (PhD student in the Graduate School of Geography at Clark University)

Abstract

At the 2010 negotiations of the Conference of the Parties (COP10) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) for a decision on biofuels and bio-diversity, biofuels were portrayed as holding many different, conflicting characteristics. Using Callon's (1986) concept of translation, we find that the COP10 biofuel negotiations failed to advance beyond the first moment of translation, problematization, when actors are defined in relation to each other. We trace attempts by various actors to fix the identity of biofuels throughout the negotiations, using strategies such as rendering political issues “technical,†relying on formal text to stabilize contested identities, and restricting the sources of knowledge relied upon. We suggest that the CBD parties experiment with new strategies, taking advantage of the COP's legal flexibility and the CBD's institutional history of engaging with the political nature of scientific knowledge. © 2014 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Deborah Scott & Sarah Hitchner & Edward M. Maclin & Juan Luis Dammert B., 2014. "Fuel for the Fire: Biofuels and the Problem of Translation at the Tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 14(3), pages 84-101, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:tpr:glenvp:v:14:y:2014:i:3:p:84-101
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    Cited by:

    1. Sarah Hitchner & John Schelhas & J. Peter Brosius, 2017. "“Even our Dairy Queen shut down”: Risk and resilience in bioenergy development in forest-dependent communities in the US South," Economic Anthropology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 4(2), pages 186-199, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    biofuel; CBD; COP10; biodiversity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • Q20 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - General
    • P48 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Other Economic Systems - - - Legal Institutions; Property Rights; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Regional Studies

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