The Role of Information in Environmental Regulation:�
�Science in the �
Service of Society?� � � �
Rónán Kennedy!!
Law School, !National University of Ireland Galway!
Information in �Environmental Regulation
l “Information” is fundamental!
l Source: usually physical sciences!
l Raw material for decision-making process!
l Gives rise to FOI, public access to information!
l Advent of ICT: greater scope for information processing in environmental regulation!
Promise of ICT for Environmental Regulation
l More rigourous!
l Large-scale tracking of pollution emissions!
l ‘Data mining’!
l Information dissemination!
l Better understanding, visualisation, forecasting...!
Promise of ICT for Environmental Regulation
l Expands scope and span of control!
l Improves functioning of markets !
l More specialised, decentralised and sophisticated regulatory organizations!
l Transparency can help avoid distortions of the political process!
Science, policy and law connection
l Not a linear or coherent relationship!
l Inadequate scientific literacy ('bad science')!
l Scientific models used in legislation may not be !
• accurate!
• up-to-date!
• ‘objective’!
Problems with Information in Environmental Regulation
l Information ‘Quality’ in the regulatory process: data as a political football!
l Impact of Information?!
• Toxics Release Inventory shows potential!
• But success due to under-reporting, gaming?!
Thematic Issues
l Paradox of transparency: more can be less!
l ‘Agile’ regulation?!
l More iterative processes!
l How to gather enough data?!
l “Mash-ups”!
l Privacy!