Alyssa Wicks, Ornella Joseph, Jocelyn Keranen, Angela Herrmann, Marya Lieberman, Graham F. Peaslee, Matthew L. Sisk, Gabriel Filippelli, Heidi Beidinger-Burnett
{"title":"“Everyone has interests”: A red herring","authors":"Gunilla Öberg, Martin Scheringer","doi":"10.1002/ieam.4938","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ieam.4938","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Our recent paper in <i>Environmental Science & Technology</i>, \"Conflicts of interest <i>in the assessment of chemicals, waste, and pollution\"</i> (Schäffer et al., <span>2023</span>), has received considerable attention. That's good. Wise management of chemicals and waste is a topic that needs serious and thoughtful debate.</p><p>Feedback from readers of our paper suggests that the term conflict-of-interest (COI) comes with negative connotations. This is unfortunate. It's apparently a common impression that the mere existence of a COI indicates wrongdoing. It doesn't. As expert advisors, our primary interest should be to serve the interests of the organization that we are advising. What a COI does indicate is that it is inappropriate to participate in certain decisions because we have <i>a competing interest that risks influencing our ability to provide advice that aligns with the interests of the organization we are to advise</i> (Moore et al., <span>2005</span>). Conflict-of-Interest policies help us stay on course because we commonly underestimate when our interests unduly impact our judgment, overestimate our ability to be neutral, and tend to ignore all the gray zones that are challenging to navigate (Chugh et al., <span>2005</span>). This is why COI policies need to be carefully carved out and regularly reviewed—in light of the organization's mission and values. If COIs are improperly defined or managed, there is a serious risk that the reputation of the people involved and the organization will be called into question. Rigorous COI policies are necessary to protect not only the decisions to be made but also the integrity of the organization. They are essential when it comes to policies that impact the health and well-being of many people. This is why it is crucial that a rigorous COI policy is developed for the proposed Intergovernmental Science−Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution Prevention (SPP) (UN Environment Programme, <span>2024</span>), as discussed in our previous paper (Schäffer et al., <span>2023</span>).</p><p>A common response to COI debates is “… but everyone has interests.” This is, however, a red herring. Everyone, indeed, has interests. Interests and values are innate to every person (Douglas, <span>2021</span>; Elliott, <span>2017</span>). We need to be clear over our values and engage in discussions about whether or not our values and research align with societal goals. Notably, an interest does not automatically lead to a COI, and it is crucial to recognize what's what (Bero & Grundy, <span>2016</span>). Craving a reputation, for example, doesn't automatically lead to a COI: It only does so if the reputation that one craves stands in conflict with the interest of the organization that one is to advise. The goal of the SPP is to <i>contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution</i> (UN Environment Programme, <span>2024</span>). A common argument is that r","PeriodicalId":13557,"journal":{"name":"Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management","volume":"20 4","pages":"1193-1195"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ieam.4938","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140835561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Livia da Silva Freitas, Fernando R. de Moura, Romina Buffarini, Xesús Feás, Flavio M. R. da Silva Júnior
{"title":"The relationship and consequences of venomous animal encounters in the context of climate change","authors":"Livia da Silva Freitas, Fernando R. de Moura, Romina Buffarini, Xesús Feás, Flavio M. R. da Silva Júnior","doi":"10.1002/ieam.4919","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4919","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Numerous impacts of climate change have been verified and discussed in recent decades (Agache et al., <span>2022</span>). However, accidents involving encounters with different species of venomous animals remain a problem, with many gaps in knowledge. The majority of studies on venomous animals include data on snakebites, but other animals, including scorpions, bees, spiders, caterpillars, and marine animals (Chippaux, <span>2015</span>), constitute a significant portion of the records worldwide. As this is a serious public health issue, the official reporting of cases is mandatory in many countries, including 17 nations in the American continent (Fernández & Youssef, <span>2023</span>). This is a significant step for the prevention and implementation of mitigation measures for these accidents, given their importance for public health management.</p><p>Estimates indicate that annually, there are 1.8–2.7 million cases of snakebite envenomation in humans, resulting in a tragic toll of 81 000–138 000 deaths, and leaving 400 000 individuals with permanent physical and psychological sequelae (Gutiérrez et al., <span>2017</span>). Like data are difficult to track because of problems with proper recording and dissemination to national health systems, especially in poor regions, and, most importantly, because most updated scientific research focuses on snakebites (Gutiérrez et al., <span>2017</span>).</p><p>Just as with snakes, scorpion sting envenomation emerges as a serious health problem in certain regions of the world, resulting in 1.2 million annual occurrences and over 3000 deaths (Chippaux & Goyffon, <span>2008</span>). Cases of envenomation from spider bites, as well as from other arthropods and marine organisms, equally represent a significant concern in the medical field (Martinez et al., <span>2022</span>). These accidents typically occur in areas with lower socioeconomic status, precarious housing, rural communities, areas with limited access to healthcare services, and a scarcity of medical resources (Gutiérrez et al., <span>2017</span>).</p><p>The regulation of body temperature in many terrestrial venomous species is influenced by environmental factors, as they are ectothermic, meaning that their body temperature is directly linked to environmental conditions (Nori et al., <span>2014</span>). This temperature control is predominantly behavioral rather than metabolic, unlike endothermic animals. Therefore, it is widely accepted that variations in temperature and humidity have significant impacts on the behavior, reproduction, brumation, feeding, and activity of these animals (Chippaux, <span>2017</span>; Williams et al., <span>2015</span>).</p><p>Climate change has significant impacts on venomous animals such as snakes, scorpions, and spiders. For snakes, climate can affect both the increase and decrease of their populations (Yañez-Arenas et al., <span>2016</span>). Additionally, human population growth and economic development ar","PeriodicalId":13557,"journal":{"name":"Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management","volume":"20 3","pages":"589-591"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ieam.4919","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140619709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Convergence research and actionable science through the lens of adaptive management","authors":"Mariana Cains","doi":"10.1002/ieam.4920","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4920","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Convergence research and actionable science are two newer terms within the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary sciences. There are several definitions for each of these two terms depending on the source, but the definitions all encompass the same foundational concepts. Convergence research (also called convergence science) is an approach to <i>solving</i> complex or vexing research problems relevant to pressing scientific or societal needs through intentional and deep integration across different disciplines (National Research Council, <span>2014</span>; National Science Foundation, <span>2024</span>; NSF NCAR, <span>2024</span>; Peek et al., <span>2020</span>). Actionable science is <i>solution-oriented</i>, where the intended end users of the scientific knowledge are centered as collaborators throughout the research process, which results in the coproduction of <i>useful and used</i> information to inform actions (Bamzai-Dodson et al., <span>2021</span>; Boyd, <span>2022</span>; Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, <span>2024</span>). These concepts (i.e., interdisciplinary, coproduction, and decision-oriented) are interrelated and central to convergence research and actionable science. The foundational concepts are not new to the environmental risk assessment and management domain, but the language used to capture these concepts is.</p><p>The relevance of convergence research and actionable science to environmental risk assessment and management is most tangible when viewed through the lens of an adaptive management framework (Wyant et al., <span>1995</span>). Adaptive management is an iterative decision-making process that formalizes the qualitative social values of a community, given governing social constraints, such that relevant management options can be qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated against one another, reducing system uncertainties. An adaptive management framework, based on an integrated vulnerability, risk, and resilience assessment of climate change impacts (Cains, <span>2021</span>), adapted from the works of Van den Brink et al. (<span>2016</span>) and Landis et al. (<span>2017</span>), is illustrated in Figure 1. This framework, which places research within the social context and constraints of the assessed socioecological system, is comprised of three main parts.</p><p>Part A, “Changes in Externalities,” envelops all framework components and represents the changes to the socioecological system that are beyond the direct control of regional or local management, such as climate change (Figure 1A). Defining “Changes in Externalities” frames the complex or vexing challenges to societal objectives that convergence research seeks to address, for example, managing regional- and community-level impacts of climate change.</p><p>Part B, “Public Engagement & Governance,” describes region-relevant social, cultural, and economic goals and defines assessment endpoints and criteria needed to evaluate those goals ","PeriodicalId":13557,"journal":{"name":"Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management","volume":"20 3","pages":"592-594"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/ieam.4920","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140619710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Annual Reviewer List, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management (1 January 2023–31 December 2023)","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/ieam.4910","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4910","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13557,"journal":{"name":"Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management","volume":"20 3","pages":"598-601"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140619795","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Debates, Dilemmas, and Discoveries","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/ieam.4936","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4936","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":13557,"journal":{"name":"Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management","volume":"20 3","pages":"888"},"PeriodicalIF":3.1,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140619706","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}