Glossary
Table G.1
| Term | Definition, as used in this book |
|---|---|
| CIRCle Framework | The framework of four functions – conceptualization, information, regulatory intervention, and coordination – that this book argues are necessary to address cumulative environmental problems, and which formal rules can support |
| Conceptualization | A clear understanding of the matter of concern, including elements of it that are important and “goal” conditions or thresholds of acceptable change for those elements; formal rules that relate to conceptualization |
| Coordination | Repeated interactions between government and nongovernment actors that relate to conceptualization, information, and intervention; formal rules that relate to coordination |
| Cumulative environmental problem | A situation in which many diverse contributing activities cause impacts (the “thousand cuts” in the title of this book) that aggregate in complex and unpredictable ways over relatively long periods of time, often extending across the boundaries of jurisdictions and legal regimes that deal with single natural resources; this aggregation exceeds acceptable thresholds of change or impact and is thus a problem |
| Cumulative threshold conditions | Conditions of a matter of concern, beyond which cumulative harm is unacceptable; this is a dimension of conceptualization that is distinct from the idea of ecological thresholds |
| Impact | The result of an activity or factor that changes the condition of a matter of concern, either in a negative or positive way |
| Information | Knowledge about the matter of concern or threats to it, which may derive data produced using Western scientific methods and sources or other sources (e.g., traditional, local, and Indigenous knowledges), and rules to address it; formal rules that relate to information |
| Integrated regulatory functions | Mutually supportive links between functions in the CIRCle Framework – conceptualization, information, regulatory intervention, and coordination – within and between laws relevant to protecting a matter of concern from cumulative harm |
| Intervention (or regulatory intervention) | Action that aims to ensure that cumulative harm to a matter of concern does not exceed acceptable levels, or that restoration goals are achieved; formal rules that relate to intervention, which influence behavior of the state or those undertaking contributing activities |
| Law | Used in a wide sense to refer to formal government rules, including those in legislation adopted by a national or subnational parliament or congress or local government, regulations and other rules made by executive agencies |
| Legal mechanism | A provision or set of provisions in a law that deals with conceptualization, information, intervention, or coordination; used interchangeably with “regulatory mechanism” |
| Matter of concern | The thing that is affected by the accumulation of impacts; the focus of our concerns and the regulatory inquiry at the center of this book. It might be a nonhuman biophysical thing (e.g., a forest, body of water, or airshed) or a link between humans and an aspect of the nonhuman environment (e.g., a “healthy environment” for people, specific ecosystem services, or a culturally valued relationship between a community and a special place). |
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