Coal and the Environment: Confronting the Treadmill of Production in North Bohemia

• In Event: 126 - Section on Environment and Technology Paper Session. Open Topic 2

Abstract

The treadmill of production framework has contributed extensively to our understanding of environmental degradation, yet most analyses have been limited to Western liberal-democracies. In this paper, we extend treadmill theory by examining the coal industry and its resultant environmental devastation in the North Bohemian region of Communist Czechoslovakia. We analyze how the state promoted unlimited production expansion and the methods it used to suppress public environmental concern. Using a range of data sources, we examine how the treadmill of production functions in political settings where state repression directly impedes the counterweight of citizen activism. Our findings illustrate the applicability of treadmill theory outside of Western liberal-democracies, but also demonstrate the importance of examining issues of power and legitimacy among growth coalition actors across distinct political and economic settings. Findings also show that environmental threats can be salient aspects of the political opportunity structure, particularly when pollution is the result of state directives. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for future research on the treadmill of production, elite legitimation and citizen response.

Authors

• Thomas E. Shriver, North Carolina State University

• Alison E. Adams, University of Florida

• Stefano B. Longo, North Carolina State University