Public Participation in Sustainability Science

This book examines methods for facilitating public participation in environmental policy making.

The participation of citizens and other stakeholders is increasingly important for policy making on the environment and sustainable development. The contributors to this book examine methods for facilitating public participation on a local and global level. The authors thus suggest consultation procedures which integrate scientific modelling with democratic decision-making processes.This book discusses how citizens can participate more effectively in sustainability science and environmental policy debates. It discusses designs for participatory procedures, and experiences of their application to issues of global change. While the focus is on citizen participation, the involvement of specific stakeholders - including water managers and venture capitalists - is also addressed. The book describes how focus group methods were combined with the interactive use of computer models into new forms of participation, tested with six hundred citizens. The results are discussed in relation to other important topics, including greenhouse gas and water management. By combining this with an examination of issues of interactive governance and developing country participation, the book provides state-of-the-art, practical insights for students, researchers and policy makers alike.