Medical sociologists have found that dominant institutions (i.e.government agencies, mass media, medical professions) have a tendency to obscure how chemical pollution contributes to disease. Examples include framings of breast cancer, leukaemia, and depression. However, a similar analysis has yet to be conducted on the portrayal of infertility. Infertility is an important case because environmental scholars have found strong associations between infertility and exposure to PCBs; pesticides; heavy metals; and radiation. To address this gap, I analyse the infertility information provided by three dominant institutions: 1) online publisher (healthline.com); 2) a government agency (healthdirect.au); and 3) a charitable trust endorsed by the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (healthify.nz). The New Zealand institution is particularly important to analyse because of the country’s high infertility rates (up to 26% of the population) and decreasing birth rates (lowest in 20 years). In carrying out a content analysis, I found that all three sites framed infertility in reductionist terms, especially the NZ website. These findings suggest dominant institutions downplay the relationship between environmental pollution and in/fertility. The NZ case is troubling when we consider the country’s high use of pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals in food and timber production. Another concern is that the social determinants of health in Aotearoa disproportionately impact Māori, and in this case, populations more heavily exposed to pollution.
Mary Silcock ‘Inside the Ministry of Health: critical opportunities to do sociology’
The Ministry of Health science advisory functions are multi-disciplinary but are heavily skewed to biomedical, health and public health approaches. While sociology overlaps and compliments these disciplines, the machinery of government and traditional hierarchies of knowledge create a condition where there is a constant power imbalance in the practices of producing evidence for decision-making. There is currently limited multi-disciplinary capacity to support science advice that includes critical and diverse knowledge. This knowledge is arguably what is most needed to address the complexity facing our health systems, healthcare practice and disparities in health outcomes in the population. As an action to address this imbalance and bolster the strength of sociology knowledge, the Office of the Chief Science Advisor hosted a sociology honours student from Victoria University of Wellington throughout 2024. The impact of having a greater physical presence, more formal linkages to academia and the increased capacity to provide subject matter expertise from the Office of the Chief Science Advisor will be presented. Practising sociology outside the academy and practical suggestions for increasing the influence of sociology in Government settings will be provided.
Chris McMillan Flights of Fantasy: The (non) communication of air transportation emissions by international sporting organisations
Facing a potentially existential threat from the climate crisis as well as criticism of their own environmental impacts, sporting entities have increasingly sought to develop and communicate environmental sustainability strategies. In particular, major international governing bodies such as the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and World Rugby have publicised significant commitments to reducing their environmental impact. While promising transformational changes, these strategies have predominantly focused on localised issues such as energy generation and use, waste management and construction materials, as well as making adaptative adjustments in response to the changing climate. Conversely, despite making up the majority of carbon emissions from commercial sporting activity, especially mega-events, air transportation has an uneasy presence in these strategies. In particular, although these organisations' own calculations of their carbon footprint highlight the significant role of flights, they receive limited attention in their environmental strategies. In this presentation, I explore this tension within the environmental communication of major international sporting organisations, highlighting the disavowal and displacement of responsibility for transportation emissions. In doing so, I ask how sociologists can most effectively represent and critique these points of tension within environmental communication.
