Locally Unwanted Sea Use: The Case of Syrian Chemical weapons disposal in the Mediterranean

This paper discusses the opposition to the disposal of Syrian chemical weapons in the Mediterranean Sea. Following insights from Green criminology and recent calls in that discipline for the inclusion of new social movements and resistance, it discusses in detail how the issue was framed in terms of environmental and ecological justice by different protest actors. This process is aided by an analytical model that brings together the sociology of protest and social movements, insights from reflexive modernisation and the study of southern European civil societies. Methodologically, the focus is on mobilisations that took place in Greece in general and the island of Crete in particular. Data have been harvested through the examination of online sources, such as newspapers, blogs and dedicated social networks. The analysis of the findings suggests that these mobilisations were initially stimulated by real concern, but subsequently these were only carried through by certain movement entrepreneurs who didn’t hesitate to pepper these concerns with false claims and/or linkages to an already active anti-imperialist discourse.

Semiconductor photocatalysis: an environmentally acceptable alternative production technique and effluent treatment process

New environmentally acceptable production methods are required to help reduce the environmental impact of many industrial processes. One potential route is the application of photocatalysis using semiconductors. This technique has enabled new environmentally acceptable synthetic routes for organic synthesis which do not require the use of toxic metals as redox reagents. These photocatalysts also have more favourable redox potentials than many traditional reagents. Semiconductor photocatalysis can also be applied to the treatment of polluted effluent or for the destruction of undesirable by-products of reactions. In addition to the clean nature of the process the power requirements of the technique can be relatively low, with some reactions requiring only sunlight.