TRP Chapter 2.4 1 Chapter 2.4 Public awareness and communication.
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Transcript of TRP Chapter 2.4 1 Chapter 2.4 Public awareness and communication.
TRP Chapter 2.4 1
Chapter 2.4 Public awareness and
communication
TRP Chapter 2.4 2
Communicating with the publicDifferent terminology
•Public communication
•Public information
•Stakeholder dialogue
•Public consultation
•Awareness raising
•Public education programmes
•Public involvement
•Public participation
Same objective
TRP Chapter 2.4 3
Public concerns in general
•Fear of damage to health
•Effects on quality of life
•Damage to natural environment
•Lack of trust in responsible authorities
TRP Chapter 2.4 4
Public concerns about a specific development
•Health concerns
•Impacts on local amenities
•Impacts on property values
•Transport impacts
•Effects on quality of life
•Nuisance from noise, dust etc
TRP Chapter 2.4 5
Need for public awareness raising in
developing economies
Press cutting from Sunday Navhind Times, Goa
7 April 2002
TRP Chapter 2.4 6
Case study: Successful community action, Taiwan
Proposal in 2001 by EPA to build a 78 hectare disposal site for industrial waste
Community was concerned that the construction would damage local economic development
Petition submitted to EPA saying that residents were against the establishment of such a site
EPA agreed not to proceed without community acceptance
Site was relocated
TRP Chapter 2.4 7
Case study: Public opposition to mercury disposal in India
Community concern about a thermometer factory and scrap yard in a dense urban area
Allegations that mercury-contaminated waste stored in open, frequented by barefoot, unprotected workers
Wastes also illegally dumped on slopes of area officially designated a sanctuary area
TRP Chapter 2.4 8
Raising public awareness•Hazardous waste management is itself an environmental protection measure
•Need to raise public awareness and understanding
•Public information campaigns are costly - they require:
•funds
•skilled staff
•time
TRP Chapter 2.4 9
Who is the public?
•Also known as ‘stakeholders’: all of those who have rights, responsibilities and interests
•Everyone but in particular:•Neighbours of waste generating industry •Neighbours of treatment or disposal facility•National and local environmental campaigning bodies
•Local land users eg farmers, horticulturalists, allotment owners, gardeners, fishermen, forestry workers
•Schools and play groups•Local community and religious groups
TRP Chapter 2.4 10
Specific groups to be informed
• Politicians, local and national
• Print and broadcast media
• Waste generators
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Why raise public’s awareness?
•To increase their trust
•To provide accurate information
•To convey their own responsibilities as waste generators
•To get support for national waste strategies and especially a hazardous waste management programme
•To get local acceptance of necessary facilities required by that strategy
TRP Chapter 2.4 12
Another reason to inform the public
To comply with the Aarhus Convention
•UN Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters
•Came into force October 2001
•To date 19 countries are party to the convention
TRP Chapter 2.4 13
Who should undertake public information and communication?
•International bodies eg WHO, UNEP
•National governments
•Local/regional government
•Waste industry
TRP Chapter 2.4 14
How to inform and communicate with the public?
•Use a variety of methods as ‘public’ is mixed:
•Be clear about objectives
•Identify audience groups
•Identify message(s)
TRP Chapter 2.4 15
Need for diverse methods
• passive information provision eg posters, leaflets, newsletters, media/radio, web sites
• active seeking of public views eg surveys, workshops, telephone hot lines
• participative forums eg citizens juries, local advisory groups
Need information appropriate to audience eg non-technical for layman
Use of Internet increasing
Some methods suited to conveying information and acquiring stakeholder views, some suited to dialogue
TRP Chapter 2.4 16
When to involve the public?
•When a hazardous waste strategy for the region or city is being devised
•When contracts for hazardous waste collection and/or disposal are being negotiated
•When planning applications are made for waste treatment and disposal sites
•When licensing or operating permits are applied for
AIM: to increase public understanding of the issues and acceptance of necessary facilities
TRP Chapter 2.4 17
NIMBY
Some of the acronyms used to describe public attitudes:
NIMBY = Not In My Back Yard
LULU = Locally Unacceptable Land Use
NIMTOO = Not In My Term Of Office
BANANA = Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone
… and one used by the public to describe industry’s approach:
CATNIP = Cheapest Available Technology Not Involving Prosecution
TRP Chapter 2.4 18
Average costs of different approaches
Low cost:
•Leaflets and posters
•Surveys– telephone, postal, targeted groups
Medium cost:
•Panels and focus groups•Citizens’ juries
High cost: •Local advisory groups
TRP Chapter 2.4 19
Information for other stakeholders
Different stakeholders need different information eg industry, policy makers
Sector-specific information targeted at:
•major hazardous waste generators
•small scale generators
Waste minimisation initiatives
TRP Chapter 2.4 20
Chapter 2.4 Summary
• Different terms, same objective
• improving the public’s awareness of, and participation in, hazardous waste management issues
• Common public concerns
• Case studies of public opposition
• Diversity of ‘the public’
• Why involve them, who should do it, how and when
• Targeting specific sectors eg waste generators