Importance of Public Participation in Air Quality Management

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Importance of Public Participation in Air Quality
Management

• Jitendra (Jitu) Shah, Nagaraja Harshadeep, Tanvi
  Nagpal, Jane Nishida, Paul Procee, Sarath
  Guttikunda
• The World Bank,
• 1818 H. St. NW.Washington, DC USA 20433

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Outline Why and When?

• Why is Public Participation Important?
• Developing Countries Trends and Limitations
• Decisions Requiring Public Participation
• Examples of Unintended Consequences
• Tools for Improving Public Involvement
• Lessons Learned

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Why is Participation important in the developing
world?

• Create political awareness and will for change
  with local concerns and perspectives
• Complement institutions (governments and private
  sector) and improve accountability
• Provide information to assist in decision-making
• Create public ownership of problem and solutions

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Theory What they teach you

• Analysis
• Knowledge Development
• Models Support Systems in Economic
  Framework
• Consultative Process

• Management Options
• Policy, Economic, Technical
• Institutional
• Environmental Social

• The Problem
• Increasing consumption
• Health and other impacts of air pollution
• Unsustainable use of natural resources

• Actions
• AQM Strategy Action Plans
• Rule of law (enforcement compliance)
• Studies and Investments
• Institutional Arrangements

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Clean Air A Public Good in State Hands

• A public good is defined as an economic good
  which possesses two properties
• Each person can benefit from it without
  diminishing anyone else's enjoyment
• It is impossible to prevent people from gaining
  access (e.g. clean air)
• Clean Air Privatization not feasible, so by
  default, State is the provider

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Reality What do you Encounter?(especially in
the developing world)

• Multiple stakeholders - opinions different and
  limited levels of information
• Institutional problems (interest, capacity,
  interaction, fragmentation, shared vision, legal
  system)
• Alternatives unclear and implementation uncertain
• Ad-hoc crisis-driven decisions processes
  (short-term, unclear, political economy)
• Limited resources (technical, financial)

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Levels of Decision-Making
National
Increasing level of complexity More impact on
individuals More need for public participation
State/Provincial
District
Local Government
Community
Households
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The Blame Game
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Types of Public Interaction
Information Disclosure
Opposers
Continuum of Public Response
Observers
Supporters
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Examples of Unintended consequences

• Too advanced technology beyond capability to
  maintain parts supply
• I M for personal vehicles without proper public
  education
• Capital investment without operation and
  maintenance funds
• Emissions Inventory is wrong leading to wrong
  solutions
• Over-emphasis on Transport
• Oxygenated fuel introduction of heavy aldehyde,
  subsidies, instead of oxygen sensors in vehicles
• Better lead than dead arguing for leaded
  gasoline by scaring people about benzene and
  other VOCs from unleaded gasoline

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Where Public Participation changed the outcome

• Dhaka Two Stroke Three Wheeler phaseout,
  Kathmandu Three wheeler phaseout
• CNG for All Buses in Delhi
• Unleaded gasoline in Asia
• IM vs Particulate Standards in developed
  countries
• Area sources becoming important as point sources
  come under control (where changes needed in
  public behaviour)

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PM2.5 concentrations declines in Dhaka after
two-stroke phase-out
350
300
250
200
PM2.5
microgram/m3
- 41 reduction
150
Average
100
50
0
1/2/2003
1/4/2003
1/6/2003
12/25/2002
12/27/2002
12/29/2002
12/31/2002
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Timing is important!!!Why not making a decision
is a decision...
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Trends in developing countries

• Environmental awareness and networking is on the
  rise
• Judicial activism growing
• Capacity of Environmental agencies increasing
• Local/Municipal government increasingly
  recognizing that Better Air Quality is good
  Politics!
• Easy, low-hanging fruits are giving way to
  harder options requiring behavioural change

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Lessons learned

• Socially difficult environmental decisions can be
  executed if there is strong public support which
  creates the required political will
• Successful public participation requires better
  use of information and appropriate tools,
  planning processes, transparent implementation
  and feedback
• Enforcement agencies need to better recognize and
  use public as their ally e.g. Bogota