Citizen Panels on Climate Targets: Ecological Impact at Collective Level

Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to ascertain whether the cooperation of citizens as participants of citizen panels has had a positive impact at collective level by contributing to the achievement of a 2 % annual reduction in the carbon dioxide equivalent (CO_2e) emissions in their city or region. This chapter discusses several challenges that emerged in the course of the analysis. These challenges suggest that a combination of different methodological approaches is the best option to assess the ecological impact of the citizen panels on the collective level. Results show that, depending on the kind of calculation, some panels met the reduction targets completely, others partially, and one did not at all. However, reductions in CO_2e are the general trend, even in those panels that fail to achieve the target. So, altogether, improvements of the CO_2e balances on the collective level have been achieved. An important finding is that the results of the panels (improvements or deteriorations) are the same after 1 year of measuring and after 2 years. So learning results are obtained in a single year and longer climate participation processes do not seem to be suited to achieving further savings, but to preventing relapse.