Environmental education and public opposition to the construction of large infrastructures: the TAV project in Val Susa.

Since the beginning of the 1990s, when it was first publicly announced, the construction of the Lyon-Turin segment of the European high speed railroad network found a fierce opposition from the inhabitants of Val di Susa. The major point of dispute between the transportation au-thorities and the local residents were different interpretations of the scientific reports describing the environmental impacts and public health risks connected with the implementation of such infrastructure. Ineffective public education programs on such environmental issues, combined with an unsympathetic decision of the Italian government to start this project without a preventive consultation with the affected municipalities, raised the distrust of the local residents toward the national government, the national media, and the organizations linked to the planning and construction of the railroad. This study tries to clarify environmental risk perception, public education, and public debate between the national government, local advocacy groups and the inhabitants of Susa Valley. Two major phases of public reaction were identified: (1) an initial rebellious period (exemplified by the popular “No TAV” movement) of no real dialogue among the project’s major stakeholders, followed by (2) a yielding period of intense multilateral negotiations centered on the activities of the “Lyon-Turin Environmental Observatory.” The results of a qualitative cross analysis among a sample of local residents revealed that early dialogue among all the parties involved was critical in forming a personal viewpoint on risk, which, once consolidated, defied new information and perspectives. Using a common cultural platform that enabled bidirectional conversations, local advocacy groups were able to gain confidence among local residents. The cultural identification between the listener and the communicator made information sources credible beyond their actual accuracy and truthfulness.