It's always dark in front of the pickaxe

Organizing ignorance in the long-term remediation of contaminated land

Bibliographic Data

ID4355940
AuthorsM Gro (0000-0002-3716-7512, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, corresponding author), Alena Bleicher (0000-0002-9805-2620, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research)
Year2013
Volume22
Issue3
Pages316-334
Publication date2013-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueTime & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0961-463X • E-ISSN: 1461-7463
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0961463x12444059
OpenAlexW2323698006
LanguageEN
Citations received11
References cited25

This article departs from the view in which ignorance is seen as necessarily detrimental and analyses how specified ignorance (here called 'nonknowledge') can even serve as a productive resource. By using the example of cleaning up contaminated land in a timely and effective manner, it is argued that nonknowledge is a useful resource; in some instances, on a par with knowledge in its importance. The article discusses some of the strategies used to cope with ongoing situations involving ignorance in the remediation of areas containing multiple contaminant sources and plumes. Analysis of these processes indicates that planning and policymaking may benefit when limits to knowledge are openly acknowledged

Contaminated land · Contamination · Environmental ethics · Environmental planning · Environmental remediation · Environmental resource management · Ignorance · Political science · Resource (disambiguation · Term (time · Computer Science · Environmental Justice and Health Disparities · Environmental Science · Law · Philosophy · Risk Perception and Management · Ecology

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