Study On The Social Construction Process Of Environmental Problem

The pollution of Jiuqu River has existed since last more than 20 years. With the high speed of industrialization and urbanization construction in L county, especially after the founding of F sugar factory in the upstream of Jiuqu River, the pollution of Jiuqu River has become more serious. However, as the villagers near the river have drunk groundwater instead of the water of Jiuqu River and the function of fish culture in net pen in Jiuqu River has been developed, the pollution of Jiuqu River has not yet been raised as a problem. Although the accidents of dead fish caused by the pollution of Jiuqu River happened almost every year, the pollution of Jiuqu River has not become an environmental problem and been effectively managed during the more than ten years under the collusion of claim for compensation and compensation. Until the recent five years, with the constant oppose of the villagers, the reports of mass media, the intervention of political advisors, the abroad attention of society and the emergence of national environmental protection policy, the pollution of Jiuqu River has really become an environmental problem, and the management of Jiuqu River has been put on the political agenda by the local government.In the view of social constructionism, the environmental problem is the outcome of social construction, and is also a process constantly constructed by society. The pollution of Jiuqu River as an environment problem is the process and result of a social consensus and co-construction to a great extent. The pollution of Jiuqu River as a long-standing objective fact has gradually got its legal position, and been put on the institutional policy agenda by the local government, after the process of the constant and repeating construction by social subjects. Villagers who are mainly fish-farming households, news media, internet media, political advisors, government, corporations, scientists, lawyers, the public and so on all have influenced the process of social construction. And villagers, government and corporations are the main factors that have influenced the social construction process of the pollution of Jiuqu River.This thesis reviews the process of the pollution of Jiuqu River which was chronically shaded, emerged later and was effectively managed in the angle of social constructionism. It emphasizes to analyze the different action manners, means and their backside logics during the interaction process between villagers who are mainly fish-farming households, government and corporations.This thesis takes the pollution problem of Jiuqu River as a case, selects Guiyu Village, Baisha Town, L County as a survey point, and discusses the process of the pollution of Jiuqu River problem from five aspects through presenting several stories of the pollution of Jiuqu River. First, it describes the economic and social environment of L County, the environment of Jiuqu River and the production and living situation of Guiyu Village in order to make clear the background of the pollution of Jiuqu River. Second, it describes three stories of the pollution of Jiuqu River happened in 1990s, and analyzes the reasons why the pollution of Jiuqu River problem was discovered but then was completely submerged. Third, it studies the process of the fish-farming households looked to news media and presented petitions for the environment after the accident 3.5 pollution of Jiuqu River happened in 1998, and reveals the strategies that they presented the pollution of Jiuqu River. Fourth, it analyzes the different attitudes taken by the fish-farming households, government and corporations towards the accident 1.8 pollution of Jiuqu River happened in 2005, discusses the manners and strategies of the pollution of Jiuqu River that the netizens and political advisors presented, and reveals the process that the pollution of Jiuqu River problem is legalized and institutionalized, in the background of the serious pollution of Jiuqu River and the rapid expand of fish-farming households. Fifth, it stresses to analyze the problem techniques and means taken by the fish-farming households in the process of reconstruction of Jiuqu River pollution, and the action logics taken by the government and corporations facing the bigger pressure of environmental protection at that time, encircling the accident 2.13 pollution of Jiuqu River happened in 2007.This thesis is based on the interview data of field investigation and the documents about the pollution and management of Jiuqu River. It gets two conclusions through the review of the five aspects above. One is the pollution of Jiuqu River problem was caused by interests, and the pollution of Jiuqu River was not seen as a problem for a long period, which was the result of the common benefit pursued by villagers, government and corporations. The other is the essence of the pollution of Jiuqu River problem is a process and a result of social construction.