Public Participation In Environmental Decision Research Articles

South Korean green growth and the Jevons paradox: An assessment with democratic and degrowth policy recommendations

The policy instruments at the core of the notion of green growth are central to South Korea’s National Strategy for Green Growth (NSGG): (1) green stimulus packages; (2) “price-based” or market corrective policies; and (3) green research and development to bring about a technological shift that increases resource efficiency and the use of renewable energy sources. This assessment of the NSGG explores the potentials and limitations of (3) in light of the Jevons paradox, the commonly found association between improved efficiency and increased resource use. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and total energy use have increased since the implementation of the NSGG despite overall improvements in energy efficiency. We argue that the Jevons paradox is a fundamental limitation of the NSGG and suggest policy alternatives to the NSGG: (1) increased public participation in environmental decision-making and (2) economic degrowth.

Participation in Environmental Decision-making: Reflecting on Planning and Community Benefits for Major Wind Farms

The notion of public participation in environmental decision-making remains ambiguous and unsettled. This article critically reflects on the conceptual nature of participation, focusing on wind energy developments. It points to an overlooked, but conceptually significant, distinction between models of engagement directed to ‘participation’ and those aimed at ‘public acceptance’. By simply offering a shadow of participation, models of public acceptance are problematic and make the normative and substantive justification of the decision inevitably more fragile. Analysing two major wind projects in England and Wales and their underlying legal and policy framework, the article explores the role of mitigation measures and the under-researched potential for developer-led community benefits to provide participatory space. In the light of logic of acceptance, it suggests that the participatory orientation of mitigation measures within planning law should be acknowledged and strengthened, while the potential for community benefits to constitute alternative fora for community participation should be explored.

LOCAL PEOPLE'S ATTITUDES TOWARDS QUALITY OF ENVIRONMENT IN SERBIA – B&H CROSS-BORDER REGION

<p>Public participation in environmental decision-making is nowadays accepted as an integral part of the sustainable development process and an important mean for improving quality, legitimacy and capacity of environmental assessment and decisions. When communities participate in the management of their resources in form of consultation or active involvement, there is a greater likelihood of success as people are more willing to obey their own regulations than those imposed upon them from outside. This paper presents results of a survey in Serbia-BiH cross border region that explored the attitudes of local people towards natural resources and environment quality, environmental priorities and efficiency of local government in solving environmental problems. Results were used as inputs for drafting “Action plan for sustainable use of cross border natural resource” contributing in this way to better acceptance and easier implementation of the plan at the community level.</p>

Optimizing Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making in Nigeria

The environment is an essential public treasure whose use and management affects the public. The public therefore has a right to be involved in decisions affecting them and the environment(UNEP 2009). The concept of public participation as a legal procedure in policy design and environmental governance is advancing. In most democratic developed countries, public participation has become an established and operative procedural requirements conducted in environmental decision making processes in order to strengthen democratic environmental governance, provide accountability, transparency and inclusive participation in environmental matters.Unfortunately in developing countries, it is not so. This research critically examined the process of public participation in environmental decision making in Nigeria. By utilizing a World Bank approved EIA for one of the projects the organisation sponsored in Nigeria, the research explored the extent of opportunities granted to the public in environmental decision making. It also analysed existing regulatory frameworks to identify key barriers to achieving effective public participation programs. Another accomplishment of this study is the comparison of national policy and regulation on public participation with international best practices, which helped to identify gaps for which recommendations for improvement were provided.The study revealed that public participation in Nigeria is still a developing process with a lot of challenges in terms of economic development to support the growing population and inconsistent regulatory framework. To be able to meet international standards, the scope of the policy and regulation will need to be restructured and revised to cover a comprehensive strategy and inclusive mechanisms. While the research focuses its review on current public participation process in environmental decision making in Nigeria, the findings is feasibly applicable to other developing countries hoping to reshape and improve current tools and practices for improved public participation in environmental decision making processes.

Muddying the Waters: Protection, Public Participation, and Ambiguity in the Language of Pollution in the Great Lakes

AbstractBased on the case of theGreatLakes, which is theUnitedStates' largest supply of fresh water and is contaminated by nonpoint source pollution from agricultural runoff, this paper examines the role that language plays in providing definitions for environmental protection and regulation. The interdisciplinary research presented here identifies “agriculturalese” as a specialized and highly technical language of agribusiness and environmental projection, and it considers some of the underinvestigated challenges that its ambiguity and complexity present to lay stakeholders' public participation in environmental decision making, protection, and enforcement.

The right to a healthy environment: A prescription for Canada.

This invited commentary summarizes the need for stronger Canadian environmental laws and policies. The environmental burden of disease in Canada is substantial. In part this is due to environmental laws and policies that are significantly weaker and less effective than corresponding rules in other wealthy industrialized nations. One promising approach is recognition of the right to live in a healthy environment. In particular, constitutional recognition of this right in 100 nations has led to stronger environmental laws, better enforcement of those laws, enhanced public participation in environmental decision-making, and superior environmental outcomes (e.g., faster progress in reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions). In light of Canada's weak environmental record, this potentially transformative approach is particularly promising.

Public Participation and Water Use Rights

The conservation and protection of water resources is paramount in the safeguarding of environmental rights and the attainment of sustainable development in South Africa. Although the National Water Act 36 of 1998 (the NWA) seeks to provide a framework for ensuring the sustainable use of water resources, its application has been hindered by capacity and enforcement constraints, a legacy of water pollution (primarily as a result of mining and industrial activities), and poor resource management. To aggravate this situation, the difficulties in effectively implementing the NWA are exacerbated by inadequate public participation in water use licensing processes. Public participation in environmental decision-making has increasingly received recognition for its role in ensuring administrative justice and the protection of environmental rights. While environmental legislation (in many cases) sets out procedures for ensuring that public views are taken into account in environmental decision-making processes, the judiciary has also recognised the pivotal role of public engagement in ensuring administrative justice where environmental rights are at stake. Sound public participation practices play an important role in identifying issues requiring consideration in the context of environmental assessment processes, as well as in ensuring that communities are empowered to monitor, identify and report on potential contraventions of environmental legislation. Water is a vital natural resource which is under significant pressure in South Africa. In the circumstances, effective public participation is crucial to ensuring the protection and equitable use of water resources. It follows that provision for comprehensive public engagement in water use licensing processes is integral to ensuring the sustainable management of water resources. While provision is made in the NWA for public engagement in the context of water use licensing processes, such participation is limited, and in some cases discretionary. This, in turn, has the effect of curtailing the right to an administrative appeal in respect of a decision by the competent authority to grant water use rights. This paper will explore the role of public participation in environmental decision-making with a view to identifying the shortcomings of the NWA in this regard, as well as the effectiveness of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 (the PAJA) in supplementing the NWA's shortcomings. It will also consider the implications which recent changes to South Africa's environmental legal framework will have for public participation in water use licensing, particularly in the context of mining-related activities.

The Role of the Public in Environmental Decision-Making

Many cases prove that involvement of the public in decision-making process on environmental issues has a real influence on proposed or planned activities and the final decisions are acceptable for all main stakeholders: government, the public, and developer of activity. Despite the facts demonstrating the role of the public in environmental decision-making, various experts approach to the public participation process with doubt and some criticism. From their point of view, many aspects of public participation are still questionable, such as who, why, how, at what stage should participate, etc. This article does not aim to answer each existing question. But along with the criticism of various experts, highlighting some important aspects of public participation, the article aims to: demonstrate a rationale of public participation in environmental decision-making; show the trend in this direction based on the analysis of violations of public participation procedures in some countries; demonstrate the real influence of the public on final decisions with regard to the environment, focused on the concrete examples. The arguments and conclusions made on this overview creates additional inspiration for further discussions and exploration of different aspects of public participation in environmental decision-making.

Public Participation in Environmental Decision Making in Romania

This article researches the manner in which the participation pillar from the Aarhus Convention was transposed into Romanian legislation and how its provisions were applied to a highly controversial case. Thus, the paper will firstly address the general legal framework concerning participation in environmental matters as well as the challenges for the implementation of Aarhus Convention, followed by requirements for effective participation and NGOs involvement in the process. The main conclusion drawn is that public participation is generally seen only as a bureaucratic requirement that both authorities and the developer must meet before the project is adopted. In this context, the NGOs play a crucial role by acting as a real watchdog in identifying deficiencies in the application of the Convention. In order for enhancing implementation the authors emphasize the more proactive role that public authorities should have both with regard to the quality of environmental reports and with applying sanctions coupled with a stronger cooperation with the NGOs in the field.

The Aarhus Convention and the Democratic Involvement in Enviromental Issues: The Italian Case

The Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters was adopted on 25 June 1998 in Aarhus and ratified in Italy by the law 168/2001. Article 6 and Article 7 preview that “Each Party shall ensure that in the decision due account is taken of the outcome of the public participation”. It promotes public participation in environmental decisions, realized by two main strategies. On the one hand the enforcement of the right to environmental information and on the other hand the public involvement in the decision-making related to the carrying on of specific infrastructures such as industrial assets, landfills, incinerators, railway lines, roads and so on. The Aarhus Convention has been implemented by the European Law System with the Directive 2003/4/EC and the Decision 2005/370/EC. The European Court of Human Rights has implemented it as a specific aspect of the right to express a proper and informed opinion according to Article 10 ECHR and of the right to the respect of family and private life. Although Italy has implemented the Convention, it never seems to have fully accomplished its effects. Indeed, the local communities involved in industrial or infrastructural realizations have not been consulted or their opinion has not been taken into account. The aim of this paper is to evaluate what is the impact of those policies and the related attitude of the Italian system on the protection of human rights of the people involved.

Why Should the Public Participate in Environmental Decision-Making? Theoretical Arguments for Public Participation

In modern societies dealing with environmental issues has become a part of everyday life. Making decisions on waste- or water-related issues is part of the public discourse in Hungary as well. The Hungarian literature on public participation discusses different participatory tools applied in particular policy fields. Public participation seems to have greater significance in environmental decisions than any other kind of democratic decision making processes. These experiences raise the question of ‘why should the public participate in making environmental decisions?’ In this paper we are looking for the answers to this question analysing the literature on public participation and exploring the relevant theoretical approaches. Arguments based on democracy theories, communication theory, sustainability, environmental democracy, risk research and behavioural economics will be summarized. The paper presents an analysis of how these different theoretical approaches treat public participation in environmental decision making and what arguments they present for its justification.

From Experiential Knowledge to Public Participation: Social Learning at the Community Fisheries Action Roundtable

Extensive research demonstrates that public participation in environmental decision making can increase understanding of diverse worldviews and knowledge bases, public faith in governance institutions, and compliance with resulting rules. Concerns linger around costs, possibilities of polarization and decreased legitimacy in cases of poorly executed processes, and the ability of newly empowered groups to gain political leverage over others. If participants in public processes can bracket their personal experience to better assess other viewpoints, establishing mutual respect and understanding through deliberative exchange, they increase the likelihood of maximizing participatory benefits and minimizing risks. Such reflexivity indicates double-loop social learning, change undertaken through collective discussion and interaction. A capacity-building workshop program aims to foster such learning within the Maine fishing industry. Case material draws primarily on participant observation and interview data, using a grounded theory approach to qualitative analysis. Evidence indicates that in social contexts removed from the norms of daily life and the frustrations of past fishery management confrontations, harvesters acquire knowledge and skills that facilitate more strategic and productive behavior in formal and informal marine resource decision venues. Suspensions of longstanding spatio-temporal assumptions around the prosecution and management of fisheries comprise key learning moments, and yield corresponding changes in industry attitudes and actions. With heightened appreciation for a diversity of experiences and management priorities, harvesters can better mobilize a broad spectrum of local knowledge to develop viable regulatory proposals and collaborative decision processes.

The application of information technology and environmental protection

The Aarhus Convention became a part of the Serbian legal system through the adoption of the Law on Ratification of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in May 2009. Although the legislation in Serbia, prior to the ratification of the Aarhus Convention, pointed, to some extent, to the realization of ideas promoted by it, following the ratification, there was the formal possibility of the consistent application of rights stipulated by the Convention. This article analyses the role of information technology (IT) in providing public access to environmental information. There are three basic ways IT may be applied in environmental protection. First, through the use of IT for environmental matters, the public can be informed about the general condition of the environment. In the legal system of Serbia, the Agency for Environmental Protection is obliged to collect environmental information from local government and compile annual reports on the environment that should be presented on the Agency website. This article analyses the information systems of the Serbian Agency for Environmental Protection and the further possibilities of using these. Second, IT can be used as a way of regular communication between government and citizens. In accordance with the principle of transparency, government bodies are obliged to provide an adequate way for the public to have an insight into their work. In addition, the authorized person is responsible for the accuracy of this information and for providing public access within a reasonable timeframe. In this sense, the article analyses the legal framework of e-access to environmental information and the relevant practice of the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection. Third, the application of IT in environmental matters can promote public participation in environmental decision-making. If there were a legal framework, the public would be able to participate in procedures, such as environmental impact assessments, by submitting their opinions as e-documents. This article points out the relations between the application of IT and the level of public awareness about the environment, and the impact these relations have on environmental protection. Points for practitioners The article examines whether there is a possibility of using IT as a means of achieving daily communication between government and citizens in matters of the protection, preservation and improvement of the environment in Serbia, how the application of information technology achieves wider public participation in environmental decision-making, and whether the application of IT can eliminate deficiencies in the assessment of environmental impacts which occur in practice. The article provides an overview of environmental legislation in Serbia, which regulates the possibility of using IT in environmental protection and administrative practice.

Research Article: Three Tools for Evaluating Participation: Focus Groups, Q Method, and Surveys

To enable successful public participation in environmental decision making, practitioners need to know what works, but evaluation of proposed and existing processes is often lacking. We tested thre...

Gauging levels of public acceptance of the use of visualisation tools in promoting public participation; a case study of wind farm planning in South Wales, UK

There is an increasing interest in the use of IT-based tools to encourage public participation in environmental decision making. Typically, this has involved the development of (predominantly prototype) systems applied in workshop scenarios with those stakeholders with an immediate interest in the planning issue in hand. Increasingly, however, the Internet is being used to explore the use of online visualisation and mapping tools, with evaluation often taking the form of feedback questionnaires that are used to refine such techniques. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how innovative visualisation techniques can enhance existing methods of information provision and public participation in a renewable energy setting. Specifically, we are concerned with examining participant opinions on the use of such tools to promote participation in relation to a proposed wind farm in South Wales. Our findings suggest that survey participants are generally optimistic regarding the potential for such software and overall give strong support for the development and implementation of these technologies in a real-world planning context. However, we suggest that such techniques need to be carefully tailored to the types of public engagement being sought in order to link particular tasks to specific technology types.

A Modest Contribution to Environmental Democracy and Justice in Transboundary Contexts: The Combined Impact of the Espoo Convention and Aarhus Convention

The Espoo Convention with the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Protocol and the Aarhus Convention reduce the impact of State borders for participatory rights in environmental decision making with transboundary reach. While confirming the sovereignty of States, these treaties set out minimum standards for public participation in environmental decision making, to be applied also in transboundary contexts, and prohibit any discrimination as to citizenship, nationality or domicile in providing for public participation. In a modest way, they thus also promote environmental democracy and justice considerations across State borders. However, this potential is not yet used to the fullest extent possible.

Implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Serbia

The Aarhus Convention has become a part of the Serbian legal system with adoption of the Law on Ratification of the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters in May, 2009. The largest share of laws in Serbia which regulate the right to access information, public participation and legal protection in environmental matters was adopted prior to ratification of the Aarhus Convention. However, after the ratification came amendments to certain laws for the sake of accordance with the norms of the Aarhus Convention. This paper analyzes the existing legal provisions in Serbia and the extent thereof on its accordance with the norms of the Aarhus Convention. In addition, the paper points out the relevant practice of administrative authorities and the Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Personal Data Protection relating to cases of access to environmental information and the right of public participation in environmental decision making as well as major court decisions on right to judicial review.

Environmentally Just Technology

Abstract This article argues that technology should be considered to be among the structures of environmental injustice. Explaining that technology can be inherently just or unjust—that is, that the material artifacts that comprise technological infrastructures can be more or less compatible with environmentally just social arrangements—it suggests that most existing technology is relatively incompatible with environmental justice. It then offers a list of design features that would help make technology inherently more compatible with fair distribution of environmental risks and benefits, equitable enforcement of protective environmental regulations, the ability of marginalized communities to build social and economic capacity, and meaningful public participation in environmental decision making. Recognizing the role that technological design plays in structuring environmental injustice should help environmental justice practitioners recognize and advocate for technology compatible with a just world.

Transition in public participation in Chinese water management

In recent years, the Chinese central government has expressed the goal of working towards a civil society. However, there are great challenges in a transition to participatory decision-making in water systems management, and this paper aims to analyse the difficulties in the Chinese context. The development of Chinese water systems is summarised, with a focus on the characteristics of water management framework and its underlying values. The initiation of public participation in environmental decision-making is tracked, as well as its scope in the planning process of three water-related projects. Finally, the participatory mechanisms and capacity in China are briefly discussed from different perspectives. This paper argues that effective public participation in China is substantially hindered by current participatory mechanisms and capacity. Improved decision-making would result from: amendments to legal requirements on compulsory participation and broadening environmental information disclosure; developing sufficient relevant monitoring systems towards evidence-based planning and decision-making; inclusion of all relevant stakeholders under transparent planning and decision-making regimes; and building institutional capacity with the emphasis on developing a feasible procedural framework for participation and for assessing the effectiveness of the participatory process.

Public participation in environmental decision making, With special reference to project in Rajasthan

Development is a continuous process and is essential to enable the population to attain a better standard of life. But it should not be at the cost of the environment. The challenge of a development pattern striving to harmonize economics with social and environmental needs requires active citizen participation in public issues. Public participation in decisions about development is fundamental to achieving lasting and possible solutions. Using case study from Rajasthan, this paper identifies the procedure followed for public hearing, its deficiencies and outcomes. The research argues that it is the right of citizen on the part of people to participate and the utmost duty of the authority (project proponent) to help conduct a successful public hearing in accordance with laws and in benefit of the society.