Citizen Participation and Climate Change within an Urban Community Context: Insights for Policy Development for Bottom-Up Climate Action Engagement

Mufaro Chitsa, Subarna Sivapalan, Balbir Singh Mahinder Singh and Khai Ern Lee
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Mufaro Chitsa: Department of Management and Humanities, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
Subarna Sivapalan: Centre for Social Innovation, Institute for Self-Sustainable Building, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
Balbir Singh Mahinder Singh: Centre for Foundation Studies, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
Khai Ern Lee: Research Centre for Sustainability Science and Governance (SGK), Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-20

Abstract: Citizen-led mitigation and adaptation are key to climate policy advancement and acceleration, particularly within an urban development context. The top-down approach requires the development of clear action plans for the involvement and engagement of citizens to accelerate bottom-up climate mitigation and adaptation efforts within the urban context. In Malaysia, there are national policy strategies such as the 12th Malaysia Plan, the National Urban Wellbeing Blueprint, the National Climate Change Policy, and the Malaysian New Urban Agenda. However, a successful implementation of climate policies can only be achieved when citizens are adequately socialized to policy impacts. This paper explores citizen perceptions and attitudes toward participation in mitigation and adaptation efforts for climate action within an urban context. Underpinned by the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Transtheoretical Theory, this study explored the approach of citizen participation as a possible tool for assessing climate policy effectiveness for bottom-up climate mitigation and adaptation efforts within an urban context. The study was set within the Malaysian urban context, given the limited empirical evidence in the area. The findings of the study suggest that a bottom-up approach to citizen participation through education, awareness, and inclusive climate policy formulation procedures will result in positive attitudes toward citizen participation.

Keywords: citizen participation; citizen attitudes; community; climate-resilient; urban development; climate policy procedures; Malaysia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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