CINBIOSE

Through a case study in Québec (Canada), this paper focuses on the changes induced to the social structure of a community by a conflict related to a wind farm. Data were gathered through interviews and sociometric questionnaires with 93 people  involved in the public hearings process. The conflict brought about the deterioration of 3 relationships per participant on average, including the deterioration of strong ties. Participants had on average 14.5 reciprocal relationships before the conflict. The deteriorations are almost exclusively relationships that linked opponents and supporters, confirming the social divide. The conflict provoked a decrease in mutual help, while the wind farm was a taboo topic in a number of central places. Many new relationships were also created (on average 5 per participant) and pre-existing ones intensified. The conflict encouraged an important pursuit for social support through existing and new relationships, but also the use of various coping strategies to deal
with stress.
Keywords: Social divide; New/ Intensified/ Deteriorated relationships; Social support; Coping strategies; Wind energy

Un projet éolien peut avoir d’importants impacts sur une communauté avant même sa construction. Il peut entraîner un conflit et de la division sociale si l’information concernant le projet est diffusée tardivement, si certaines personnes se sentent exclues du processus de décision et si les différents acteurs impliqués ne se font pas confiance. Des entrevues avec des gens qui ont participé au processus de consultation du Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE) ont permis de mieux comprendre différents éléments d’un conflit lié à un projet de parc éolien, du point de vue des gens les plus concernés.

Through a case study of an environmental conflict related to a  wind farm in Québec (Canada), this doctoral research focused 1) on the information strategies used by the developer and on the way people react to this information; 2) on the information-seeking profiles of involved actors and on the role of trust and distrust in the diffusion of information; and 3) on the changes induced to the social structure of the community by the conflict, notably the deterioration and intensification of relationships between the most involved actors.
The methodology consisted in a documentation review, field observation during public events, semi-structured interviews, and sociometric questionnaires with 93 individuals involved in the official public hearing process of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE). The sample was comprised of 74 opponents to the project and of 19 supporters. The fieldwork was carried out between August 2009 and May 2010.
The first part of the study aimed at answering the following questions: who is informed, when are these people informed, and how does it impact the unfolding conflict? Scientific literature already reported that when an environmental conflict occurs, the information people have access to plays a crucial role in how the conflict develops. The main findings showed that the developer made strategic choices regarding information diffusion (confidentiality, exclusion of some actors – especially the citizens–, rumours, etc.) that spurred on opposition in the latest stage of development of the wind farm project. The population’s awareness was also slow to grow, mainly because the news of the project was slow to spread in the community and because many people refused to believe this kind of project could take place in their environment.
The second part of the study aimed at answering the following questions: To whom do people turn to get information, and who they do not trust to provide relevant information? Lack of trust in planners is observable in communities concerned by a development project. The main findings are that supporters and opponents showed high variability in their information-seeking profiles in terms of access to powerful actors and of quantity and diversity of sources of information. Opponents and supporters showed high levels of trust within their own group. Distrust regarding the other group was very high, especially from opponents toward supporters. Suspicion was used as a strategy to discredit adversaries who were perceived as untrustworthy.
The third part of the study aimed at assessing and quantifying the social divide in the community concerned by the wind farm. This social divide had already been observed by the BAPE, but not assessed. The conflict brought about the deterioration of 3 relationships per participant on average, including the deterioration of strong ties. Participants had on average 14.5 reciprocal relationships before the conflict. The deteriorations are almost exclusively relationships that linked opponents and supporters, confirming the social divide. The conflict provoked a decrease in mutual help, while the wind farm was a taboo topic in a number of central places for this small rural community. Many new relationships were also created (on average 5 per participant) and pre-existing ones intensified. The conflict encouraged an important pursuit for social support through existing and new relationships, but also the use of various coping strategies to deal with stress. Some of these strategies could be considered maladaptive ones and may have been due to the perception of inappropriate social support.

"This research aimed to better understand the gap between journalists and scientists in the context of the media coverage of an environmental issue in Québec (Canada). Through in-depth interviews with journalists and scientists, we were able to identify different sources of frustration felt by both protagonists, notably
the question of the scientists’ revision of the journalists’ text, the journalists’ lack of accuracy, and the problem of different time frames in the media and the scientific worlds. This study also offered insights for bridging the gaps.

Keywords: accuracy, environment, journalists, power, scientists, time, training"

In the case study of a controversial wind farm project in Quebec (Canada), social networks analysis (SNA) and semi-directed interviews were undergone to understand the modifications to the social structure of the concerned community. The study showed that all participants (N= 93, both supporters of and opponents to the project) from a convenient sample (based on involvement in the formal public hearings of the EIA process) presented many new, intensified, and deteriorated relationships because of the project. The new and intensified relations were associated to information-seeking behaviour, coping strategies, and group cohesiveness in response to the perceived threat induced by the wind farm or by the opposition. Some individuals were particularly targeted in the deteriorated relations, mostly as a result of second-hand information. Some actors involuntarily played the role of a common enemy and created more ingroup cohesiveness, thus feeding the conflict. Many deteriorated relations did not overlap the discussion network, despite its great extension in the community, showing the influence of interpersonal networks in diffusing information about actors involved in the conflict. The church, shops, private events, etc. were identified as places where the topic was taboo. Modifications to the social structure appear to be good indicators of the social divide in the community, but also of the coping strategies employed by participants. They could also be indicators of collective health through the assessment of social cohesion and capital. Finally, when and how SNA should be conducted to address the concern of social division induced by a development project?

Lack of trust in planners is observable in communities concerned by a development project. Through a case study of a conflict related to a contested wind farm in Québec (Canada), this paper focuses on the role of trust and distrust in the diffusion of information. Interviews with 93 individuals involved in the conflict were conducted. The participants were asked the following questions: Do you think that someone was withholding information from you? If yes, who withheld what kind of information exactly? The main findings are that opponents and supporters showed high levels of trust within their own group. However, distrust regarding the other group was also very high, especially from opponents toward supporters. Suspicion was used relatively successfully as a strategy to discredit adversaries who were perceived as untrustworthy.

Keywords: Suspicion – Transparency – Lack of information – Cohesion – Wind energy

Im Allgemeinen wird Windenergie als das perfekte grüne Produkt wahrgenommen und Windräder haben den Ruf, wenige oder sogar gar keine Auswirkungen auf Mensch und Umwelt zu haben. Allerdings wird der Lärm von Windrädern immer häufiger in der wissenschaftlichen Literatur als potentielle Belästigung für Anwohner erkannt. Über die damit verbundenen Auswirkungen auf die Gesundheit herrscht nach wie vor Unklarheit. Von hoher Bedeutung ist die Tendenz von Unternehmen der Branche, die Existenz diesesGesundheitsproblems abzustreiten. Der fehlende Zugang zu wissenschaftlicher Literatur veranlasst die Gegner von Windparks oft, sich auf Informationen aus dem Internet zu stützen, was sie der Kritik aussetzt, unwissenschaftlich zu argumentieren. Würde ein Zugang zu wissenschaftlich belegten Ergebnissen zu anderen Erkenntnissen führen? Welche wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse nutzt die Windenergielobby, um den Argumenten über die gesundheitlichen Auswirkungen durch Windräder zu begegnen? Ist es möglich, dass die Windenergielobby, wie andere Lobbys zuvor auch, von der Unwissenheit über dieses Thema profitiert oder sogar diese aufrecht erhält?

Été 2012, les travaux de construction du projet éolien battent leur plein. Il y a bientôt trois ans, c’étaient les audiences publiques du projet qui occupaient l’espace public. Des voix se sont alors élevées contre le projet, tandis que d’autres ont exprimé un vif intérêt pour ce parc de 50 éoliennes. La région a vécu au rythme de la controverse pendant une longue période. Certains disent même que les tensions entre partisans et opposants restent encore vives aujourd’hui.
C’est dans ce contexte que s’est déroulée au début de l’année 2010 une vaste étude auprès de 93 personnes impliquées dans le processus du Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement ou BAPE. Il s’agit d’une étude indépendante financée essentiellement par la Communauté de pratique canadienne en approches écosystémiques de la santé humaine. À titre de doctorante en communication à l’Université du Québec à Montréal, je suis l’instigatrice de ce projet de recherche aujourd’hui parvenu à son terme.
Il me fait donc plaisir de vous présenter les fruits de cette recherche articulée autour des questions suivantes :

•Qui a été informé du projet éolien, quand ces gens l’ont-ils été, et comment la diffusion de cette information a-t-elle influencé l’émergence et le développement d’un conflit?
•Qui ont été les sources d’information des gens concernés par le projet, en qui les gens n’avaient-ils pas confiance pour la diffusion d’information relative au projet éolien?
•Comment les relations sociales dans la communauté ont-elles été modifiées par l’arrivée du projet éolien, est-il possible d’évaluer la division sociale observée par le BAPE?

Je vous invite à une rencontre de présentation et de discussion des résultats de la recherche. Il s’agit d’une rencontre non partisane où tous sont les bienvenus que vous ayez participé à la recherche ou simplement curieux!

L’être humain interagit avec d’autres et ses interactions le conduisent à se former des opinions, lesquelles l’incitent à interagir davantage avec des personnes qui partagent ses vues. En nous basant sur les théories de la diffusion, de la création de sens et des mouvements sociaux, nous avons exploré la dynamique entre relation sociale, influence et création de sens dans un conflit lié à un projet de parc éolien. Une méthodologie mixte, s’appuyant sur des données d’entrevues menées auprès de 93 personnes et comportant des questions sur les perceptions des enjeux et sur les réseaux sociaux, a permis une analyse des arrimages entre réseaux sociaux et réseaux sociosémantiques. Cette analyse a montré que la centralité, l’influence et la similitude du discours sont corrélées en fonction de thèmes précis et que les relations nouvelles ou intensifiées en raison du conflit jouent un rôle particulièrement important dans la similitude du discours. Nous proposons une discussion sur l’émergence d’une nouvelle structure sociosémantique, la construction de l’influence, le rôle des émotions dans le discours et la durabilité des relations lors d’un conflit.
Mots-clés : influence, création de sens, relation sociale, similitude, conflit environnemental.

When an environmental conflict occurs, the information people have access to play a crucial role in how the conflict develops. Through a case study of an ongoing conflict related to a highly contested wind farm in Québec (Canada), this paper focuses on how the news of the project was announced by the developer and on how it was then diffused by different involved actors. It aims to answer the following questions: who is informed, when are these people informed, and how does it impact the unfolding conflict? Field observation and in-depth interviews with 93 individuals involved in the public hearing process were conducted. An important part of the analysis was made using social network analysis to reconstruct diffusion of the news of the project among the sample over a 5-year period. The main findings showed that the developer made strategic choices regarding information diffusion (confidentiality, exclusion of some actors—especially the citizens, rumors, etc.) that spurred on opposition in the latest stage of development of the project. The population’s awareness was slow to grow, mainly because the news of the project was slow to spread in the community.

Environmental conflicts can have important social impacts: social divide, changes in mutual help, negative coping strategies, etc. Conducting research in this context is difficult; people can be highly sensitive and researchers walk on thin ice to gather relevant data without further impacting the community. Even sharing results with the community is a tremendous challenge: how will people react to the way their community is portrayed?
I assessed social cohesion in a community divided by a wind farm project. This social divide was known by many observers and decision-makers, but I put numbers on it and, with social networks analysis, I represented it visually. Not only did research participants recognize their reality in these results, but they also suggested that the situation might have evolved since the interviews – toward more divide, but especially toward more isolation. Many asked for a new series of interviews to assess this potentially new reality. This positive feedback from the participants was more than I expected, but it also comes with a lot of doubts about the ethical implications of a new research phase. Could it be more harmful than beneficial for this community that is trying to heal?

Lack of trust in planners is observable in communities concerned by a development project. Through a case study of a conflict related to a contested wind farm in Québec (Canada), this paper focuses on the role of trust and distrust in the diffusion of information. Interviews with 93 individuals involved in the conflict were conducted. The participants were asked the following questions: Do you think that someone was withholding information from you? If yes, who withheld what kind of information exactly? The main findings are that opponents and supporters showed high levels of trust within their own group. However, distrust regarding the other group was also very high, especially from opponents toward supporters. Suspicion was used relatively successfully as a strategy to discredit adversaries who were perceived as untrustworthy.

Keywords: Suspicion – Transparency – Lack of information – Cohesion – Wind energy