Colleagues
Next week's CTS seminar will be given at UCL by
Tom Cohen
Centre for Transport Studies
University College London
[log in to unmask]
Can participatory emissions budgeting assist authorities in tackling climate
change?
15.30 Tuesday 31 May 2011
Chadwick Lecture Theatre B05
Chadwick Building
UCL
ABSTRACT
This talk will introduce the concept of participatory emissions budgeting,
set out the rationale for it, and explain how it is intended to trial it in
a UK local authority. Given the need for very large cuts in greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions, and widespread scepticism concerning the capacity of new
technology to deliver these reductions on its own, it is generally accepted
that significant behaviour change is required on the parts of all actors,
including institutions. One reason governmental bodies hold back from
emissions-reducing measures is fear of public opposition; this suggests that
the relationship between citizen and government needs to change if
government is to make real progress towards its emissions targets. The need
is for a relationship based more on collaboration in the face of a shared
challenge and future vision, a key part of which would be greater acceptance
on the part of citizens that government intervention has a large part to
play in delivering the necessary change.
Participatory budgeting (PB), based on financial constraints, has a strong
track record of involving larger numbers of citizens and of attracting a
more diverse profile of participants than many other forms of citizen
participation, thereby giving its conclusions greater perceived legitimacy
amongst policy makers whilst also fostering more positive attitudes amongst
citizens towards the sponsoring authority. The question is whether an
adapted form of PB, including the emissions arising from policy options as
well as their cost, could harvest these benefits at the same time as
assisting the authority in implementing measures that address the climate
change challenge.
A host authority will be used to test participatory emissions budgeting
(PEB), with citizens invited to take part in a deliberative process leading
to the selection by voting of a package of policy measures subject to two
constraints - one emissions-related and the other financial. The evaluation
of the trial will test for the effect of the emissions constraint upon both
the deliberative process and the nature of the decisions reached.
A central part of the work will be the creation of a calculus for greenhouse
gas emissions that enables the effects of given policy measures to be seen
at two levels - pan-authority (ie including emissions attributable to
residents and organisations based within the authority); and intra-authority
(arising from the authority's "estate and operations"). This two-level
measure will enable citizens to weigh up policy options in an informed
manner, using appropriately adapted deliberative methods.
About the speaker
Tom Cohen commenced studying for a doctorate at UCL's Centre for Transport
Studies in 2009. Prior to this, he spent 11 years in transport consultancy
working, amongst others things, on citizen participation in transport
planning and multi-criteria decision analysis. He obtained a masters in
transport studies at the University of London Intercollegiate Centre for
Transport Studies in 1998, his first degree having been in mathematics and
philosophy.
____________________________________________________________________________
___
Benjamin Heydecker
Centre for Transport Studies
University College London
Tel: 020 7679 1553
Fax: 020 7679 3042
[log in to unmask]
_______________________________________________
Cts-seminars mailing list
[log in to unmask]
https://www.mailinglists.ucl.ac.uk/mailman/listinfo/cts-seminars
|