Browsing by Subject "ympäristökansalaisuus"
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(2024)We have long been invited to engage in climate action in different forums, without specifying what is actually expected of us to solve the accelerating climate crisis. Traditionally, individual citizens have only been seen as consumers in climate action. Although citizen participation in climate work has also been studied more and more in recent years, there is a little research on how citizens themselves perceive their own role in climate action. Climate action at local level and small municipalities, as smaller administrative units, could also provide better opportunities to support individuals in their own climate actions. In this thesis, I examine the climate agency and participation of residents in local climate action through their perceived roles and means of participation. I am conducting a review at the level of one small Finnish municipality by carrying out a qualitative case study. The case municipality is Kokemäki in the Satakunta region, with a population of about 7000. My research questions are (1) how the municipal representatives and local residents perceive the roles of the municipality and local residents in local climate action, and (2) what means are identified by municipal representatives and local residents to strengthen the climate agency of local residents. The research material consists of thematic interviews of the municipal representatives, group discussions of the residents and a survey conducted for the residents. As a method of analysis, I have used qualitative content analysis. The results show that municipal representatives and local residents have a similar perception of the roles, even though there are differences. In total, six different roles were identified for the municipality, and communication as a cross-cutting role. A key finding is that local residents perceived their own role more active than the municipal representatives did. A total of five roles were outlined for the residents, two of which emerged mainly in the experiences of the residents: the role to support each other and the role to activate the municipality to act. The roles of the municipality and the residents are strongly linked, and instead of looking individual means to support climate agency, it might be useful for small municipalities to shift the examination more strongly to their own role in relation to the residents. The development of communication and interaction is a key means of supporting climate agency. In addition to communication based on positive tone and examples in particular, the need for encounter and discussion emerged. Discussions with local residents, also on the topic of climate change, could bring new knowledge, understanding and ideas to the municipality, and at the same time provide a forum for communicating the importance of climate action, which also supports sustainable choices in everyday life. Strengthening the experience of working together increases the potential for self-motivated action and also enables peer learning and interaction between residents. The desire to take care of one's own home region could also support local climate action, as long as the objectives and actions are set at a local scale.
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(2020)Previous studies have shown that involving citizens, especially young people, in environmental decision making, increases the ability to participate in environmental action (e.g. Riemer et al. 2014, Paloniemi and Koskinen 2005). There have been various school and after school projects to promote the engagement of young people in societal environmental action. Many youth engagement projects in the third sector have succeeded in achieving positive results in promoting environmental citizenship. This thesis evaluates the involvement of young people and young adults in environmental action at WWF Finland. The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on the model by Paloniemi and Koskinen (2005) of environmental policy action as a social learning process. According to the model, positive experiences of involvement can strengthen environmental action competence and encourage participants to take environmentally responsible action. In the spiral model, the context is taken into account in the results. The data for this thesis is from a survey of 30 young people at WWF, who took part in the project. The survey mapped the effects of the project on the participants' self-empowerment, social empowerment, and environmental citizenship. It also examined skills in environmental action, and the effects of the context on the results. These results were processed using a mix of qualitative content analysis and statistical analysis methods. In the content analysis, the open-question-answers were themed. The differences between numerical answers of those who suspended the project, and those who were involved until the end were compared, for example using a T-test. In addition, narrative inquiry was developed based on the answers to describe comprehensive profile of respondents. There were no statistically significant differences between those who discontinued the project and those who participated until the end. However, the content analysis of the study provided evidence that the activities succeeded to empower participants and strengthen their environmental citizenship and environmental action competence. According to the results, 26 out of 30 respondents received more information about environmental problems, and 24 received information about their own opportunities on environmentally responsible action. Almost everyone also learned other skills that support environmental citizenship. The project had a positive effect on self-empowerment and social empowerment for 21 respondents. More than half of the respondents also reported an increase in societal engagement, or encouragement to work in the field of environmental or sustainable development. The results of this thesis conclude that the context of WWF’s project was overall successful, as the desired results were achieved. Motivating and engaging factors that contributed to the goals of the operation were also identified. The results of the thesis are in line with previous research, which indicates that environmental participation in the third sector plays an important role in promoting environmental citizenship. However, more long-term research on the topic is needed, as well as research with different control groups.
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