Balancing Individual Self-Determination and the Broader Needs of Society—The Case of Energy Production Facilities

Abstract (English)

Environmental issues have risen to a more prominent position in public discourse than ever before. Increasingly, people are engaging in discussions about the connections between living environments and health. This has been repeatedly highlighted by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2016). In relevant case studies, the multidimensionality of environmental health crises has been observed—these crises exhibit synchronic and diachronic dimensions, individual-institutional dynamics, as well as potential future environmental and health consequences (e.g., the treatment of nuclear waste), and specific mental mapping processes. Additionally, in some cases, related narratives raise profound ethical questions. For example, many of the more anxious personal accounts contain deeply subjective reactions to the health impacts arising from the surrounding environment. This presentation focuses on recent debates regarding wind energy production. While wind turbines have been largely deemed safe for human health by experts, a number of individuals living near wind farms claim that these installations negatively impact their health. Such personal experience narratives have triggered further mistrust and protests against new wind parks. However, some authors have argued that, although self-determination is a human right, it may at the same time pose potential risks to others (Freeman, 2019). Other authors emphasize the essential role of social negotiation in achieving balance in highly controversial issues (Gulliver, 1988).
This presentation explores, through recent case examples from Estonia, questions such as: How should we approach the balance between an individual's right to self-determination and the broader needs of society (the 'greater good')? Where do we draw the line between objective and subjectively perceived root causes of environmental health crises? How do mental and physical characteristics of environmental health crises combine, and how might these be jointly mapped?