Public participation and climate change governance: Between political approach and local actors’ perspective in two Macaronesian territories

Frontiers in Environmental Science

Environmental Science

Fátima Alves¹  Ana Mendonça¹  Walter Leal Filho² 

[1] Departamento de Ciências Sociais e de Gestão, Universidade Aberta, Lisboa, Portugal;Centre for Functional Ecology—Science for People & the Planet, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal;Associate Laboratory TERRA, Department of Life Sciences (DCV), University of Coimbra (UC), Coimbra, Portugal;European School of Sustainability Science and Research, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Hamburg, Germany;Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom;

关键词: governance;    climate change policies;    communication;    public participation;    Autonomous Region of Madeira and Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fenvs.2023.1094178

 received in 2022-11-09, accepted in 2023-05-02,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Climate change (CC) is the major current environmental challenge influencing the balance of ecosystems, livelihoods, social organization, public health, and well-being. The Autonomous Region of Madeira and the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, considered outermost regions (ORs), form part of continental countries (Portugal and Spain, respectively) and integrate Macaronesia. Due to their location and idiosyncratic characteristics, they are also particularly vulnerable to CC. Regional and local mitigation and adaptation plans and strategies are in force, but policies still do not respond to CC challenges or fully recognize or integrate public participation in their definition and implementation. This article investigates the relevance of public participation in CC policies and how it has been carried out by decision-makers. Thereby, it intends to understand the evolution of CC policies in the archipelagos of Madeira and the Canary Islands, as they have met the interests of relevant scientific, administrative, and economic actors, often underestimating the contributions of other actors, and how public involvement and participation is key to resolve socio-environmental issues in the territories. With this aim in mind, we have conducted a document analysis of the legislation, programs, and strategies on CC, complemented by 20 in-depth interviews, 10 in Madeira and 10 in Las Palmas of Gran Canaria, to a group of local actors, including scientists, technicians, and politicians. Our study shows that despite the efforts leveraged by European and national guidelines, the status quo prevails, with political and institutional arenas systematically keeping their distance from concrete realities of quotidian life. The results show evidence that at international, supranational, and national levels, and at regional/local levels, CC policies often perpetuate domain ties, sectoral and private interests, and are outlined according to narratives not accessible to all actors. Therefore, discourses—political, academic, and corporate—prolong power relations and knowledge that express an institutionalised truth. Thus, we argue that proximity governance is crucial to raise awareness of socio-environmental problems, complement existing knowledge, incite action, and empower local communities. This means that without a collaborative endeavor to boost the required changes, individually and collectively, CC policies might be difficult to implement.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Mendonça, Leal Filho and Alves.