When bioethanol and social sciences meet…

Black Boxing is the systemic ambiguity of a scientific term that nevertheless continues to be widely used. The scientific community adopts key terms or notions and accepts their validity without fully understanding them or their origin. These black boxed ideas remain unquestioned and continue to drive the discussion. In the bioethanol debate, the very concept of bio-ethanol as a green sustainable fuel is in itself black-boxed. The position that sugarcane bioethanol is environmentally friendly is so broadly accepted that challenging the fundamentals of the position seems ludicrous. However, the data on which the assumption is based is weak and not widely understood.

Framing is the process by which one specific issue is manipulated and crafted to create multiple varying reactions and interpretations.  In the bioethanol topic,  this concept pertains to the measurement of indirect emissions. Stemming from the same desire to establish the indirect emissions resulting from the cultivation of sugarcane and the process of bioethanol production, four different models were created. The JRC, EPA, CARB and IFPRI models all begin at the same point and with the same amount of information but the results produced and the conclusions reached differ dramatically.

Boundary objects are physical objects, conceptual ideas or cultural traditions that cross boundaries and exist in multiple social circles. While they maintain a fixed identity, they can be reinterpreted by each group individually, and, consequently, they allow for dialogue to arise. In the bioethanol debate, the agricultural land acts as the boundary object. The Brazilian government an the bioethanol companies adopt a macro-position where they consider the lands across the state in entirety, although business prioritize profit above all else. The farmers and indigenous groups, on the other hand, take a micro-scale outlook beginning with themselves and their lands.

Discussing a topic as a matters of concern means that the topic is open to discussion and not only from the scientific community but also from political or business actors. Once this switches and becomes a matter of fact, all discussion over its validity has been stopped. It has become scientific truth and cannot be challenged. These two concepts feed into Latour’s understanding of Dingpolitik. In bioethanol discussions, sugarcane bioethanol fuel itself has moved from a matter of concern to a matter of fact since its effectiveness has been proved by scientists and accepted by the public.