| This document examines variation in the responses of communities to local pollution problems affecting Great Lakes water quality. The study is based on research conducted at six such communities, at sites that have been designated as "Areas of Concern" by the International Joint Commission. The roles of economic dependency or diversity, access to scientific and political resources, community size, social visibility of pollution, and consciousness- and unconsciousness-making activities are examined as they relate to grass roots political mobilization in response to local, lake-related environmental issues. Of particular interest is the participation of national and regional environmental social movement organizations, Federal, State/Provincial and local governments and local industry.;National and regional environmental social movement organizations appear to have a greater mobilizing impact on communities that are closest to the urban centers in which these organizations are based. Federal environmental agency/ministry jurisdiction over a contamination site, conversely, subverts local public participation structures established by State or Provincial agencies/ministries. State and Provincial environmental agencies play a centrist role in promoting minimal remediation. Local governments typically oppose the definition of local environmental disorganization as a problem. Finally, communities whose economies depend largely on a single polluting industry appear subject to a greater degree to the control capacity of private capital interests, and therefore are inhibited from pursuing environmentalists' political demands. Aggregating the six case studies suggests that apparently high levels of Canadian environmentalism may actually represent nationalistic commitments. |
