Tales of Toxicity: Storylines of Urban Air Pollution
Author
Murphy, Eamon Flanagan
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2023
Submitted on
2023-06-01
Pages
68
Abstract
Air pollution is the largest environmental health threat globally and within Europe. This thesis examines how different storylines about urban air pollution frame the problem, allocate responsibility, and legitimize solutions. By mapping prominent actors and typifying narrative positions—including minimization and socioeconomic threat—the study shows how particular ways of telling the story of air pollution can entrench existing practices. An illustrative comparison of ambient and street-level measurements from Copenhagen suggests that how we measure and communicate air quality influences which issues are perceived as urgent. The analysis indicates that some dominant positions help sustain the status quo, thereby obstructing more substantial change. The excerpt does not detail the full methodological design or complete results, but the thesis aims to clarify how storylines shape urban responses to air pollution and the barriers they create for action.
Luftforurening er den største miljørelaterede sundhedstrussel globalt og i Europa. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan forskellige fortællinger (storylines) om byernes luftforurening rammesætter problemet, fordeler ansvar og legitimerer løsninger. Gennem en kortlægning af fremtrædende aktører og en typificering af narrative positioner—herunder minimisering og socioøkonomisk trussel—vises, hvordan bestemte måder at fortælle om luftforurening kan fastholde eksisterende praksisser. En illustrativ sammenstilling af baggrunds- (ambient) og gadeniveaumålinger fra København peger på, at måden, vi måler og kommunikerer om luftkvalitet, påvirker, hvilke problemer der opfattes som presserende. Analysen antyder, at nogle dominerende positioner bidrager til fortsættelsen af status quo og dermed står i vejen for mere vidtgående forandringer. Den fulde metode og resultater fremgår ikke af uddraget, men specialet sigter mod at belyse, hvordan fortællinger former byers håndtering af luftforurening og de barrierer, de skaber for handling.
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