Public participation can be defined as a continuous, two way communication process which involves promoting full public understanding of the processes and mechanisms through which environmental problems and needs are investigated and solved by responsible agencies; keeping the public fully informed about the progress of studies or implications of the project

1. Public Participation in
Environmental Decision-Making
Local responses to global task
Ashwani Kumar
NMIT,Bengaluru

2. IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC PARTICIPATION:
Introduction to the case problem of the Ural
History:
military nuclear facility
since,1949, three nuclear
accidents

3. CONSEQUENCES:
50 thousands sq.meters of
area were radioactively
contaminated, about 100
thousands became a victims
(were ill or died)

4. Proposal
Since 1993 we have:
Constitutional & Federal laws, where the right for
clean and safe environment was declared
But in sphere of nuclear safety we see bad trends in
worsening the environment & increasing risks.
Why?
The answers could be obtained from political,
economical situation.
The approach was to observe opportunities of
public participating to efficient environmental
decision-making process.

5. Definition of public participation.
Public participation can be defined as a
continuous, two way communication process
which involves promoting full public
understanding of the processes and mechanisms
through which environmental problems and needs
are investigated and solved by responsible
agencies; keeping the public fully informed about
the progress of studies or implications of the
project

6. What is public participation?
AKA “self-help”, “involvement”, “control”
 process, in which opinion of different people and
groups including into final decision
 continuous process of interaction between citizens
and government, which have responsibility for
decision
 power and right of citizens (Arnstain, 1969)

7. Role and benefits of public
participating
Benefits of PP:
• Social consensus mitigates conflicts
• Process of decision-making and final decisions becomes more
transparent and legitimate
• helps prevent or and adverse environmental consequences of
the decisions
• PP generate more solutions and opinion to solving problem,
• For government and business costs of possible wrong decision
could reducing significantly
PP trying to decide main aim of sustainable
development – mitigate conflict between economical
growth and environment security.

8. DISADVANTAGES:
• Potential for confusion of the issues, since many new
perspectives may be introduced.
• Possibility of erroneous information resulting from the
lack of knowledge from the participant.
• Potential project delay and increased project costs.

9. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN EIA
PROCESS
• Identification of issues and impacts.
• Conduction of baseline studies of environment.
• Prediction and evaluation of impacts.
• Mitigation planning
• Comparison of alternatives
• Decision making relative to the proposed action.
• Study documentation through preparation of environmental
assessment or EIS

10. What is Environmental Decision-
Making?
• Any process of decision-making where
consequent significant environmental
impacts are a possibility.
• Includes law making, policy making, spatial
planning, strategic planning, resource
management planning, licensing of industry
e.g. IPPC, environmental assessment (EIA),
budgetary decisions etc.

11. Levels of public participation:
Arnstein Ladder
8 Citizen Control
Citizen Power7 Delegated Power
6 Partnership
5 Placation
Tokenism4 Consultation
3 Informing
2 Therapy
Non-Participation
1 Manipulation

12. Levels of public participation
Legislative opportunities and realized forms
levels The legislation of Russian federation
8 Citizen Control referenda
7 Delegated Power Strategic Environment Assessment
6 Partnership Impact Environment Assessment
5 Placation
State Environmental Expertise, Public
Environmental Expertise, legislative process
4 Consultation
Public control, consultation, public opinion
research
3 Informing Informing - media, meetings
2 Therapy
1 Manipulation