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Risk Communication and Public Perception of Military Pollution in Estonia

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Scientific Uncertainty and Its Influence on the Public Communication Process

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASID,volume 86))

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Abstract

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening up of Eastern Europe, it has become clear that the Soviet military legacy has caused many environmental and public health problems not only in the former Soviet Union itself, but also in the countries that it occupied for fifty years after World War II. Estonia, for instance, is one country that has suffered from Soviet occupation.

This paper examines three questions related to Soviet military pollution in Estonia: (a) What types of environmental and health problems have been caused by Soviet military pollution? (b) What has the Estonian Environmental Ministry done to communicate the risks of military pollution to the public? Does the Ministry feel that their efforts have been successful? (c) How does the public perceive the risks of Russia’s military legacy? Results from the study indicate that the public is concerned about environmental problems in general and military pollution problems in particular. There is, however, no clear indication whether the government’s risk communication program was a success or a failure.

The paper is based on interviews with policy makers in Estonia, 100 random person-to-person interviews in the country’s capital, Tallinn, and a review of relevant documentation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environmental Strategy, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK

    Ragnar E. Lofstedt

Authors
  1. Ragnar E. Lofstedt
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sublet & Associates, Columbus, Ohio, USA

    Virginia H. Sublet

  2. University of Cincinatti, Ohio, USA

    Virginia H. Sublet

  3. Center for Risk Communication, Columbia University New York, New York, USA

    Vincent T. Covello

  4. University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    Vincent T. Covello

  5. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Atlanta, USA

    Tim L. Tinker

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© 1996 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Lofstedt, R.E. (1996). Risk Communication and Public Perception of Military Pollution in Estonia. In: Sublet, V.H., Covello, V.T., Tinker, T.L. (eds) Scientific Uncertainty and Its Influence on the Public Communication Process. NATO ASI Series, vol 86. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8619-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8619-1_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4737-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-015-8619-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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