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Procedural Fairness in Climate Change Governance In order to effectively analyze procedural fairness in climate change governance, one must look at the opinions of stakeholders throughout the process. For decision-making to run smoothly, it is necessary for all actors to feel as if the processes in place are fair. There are many different factors that affect an individual’s perception of equity. Additionally, in order for environmental governance to effectively mitigate issues for all parties, it is necessary that the opinions of all stakeholders are taken into account with equal consideration (Hamilton, 2018). Climate change governance commonly proves difficult to execute correctly. To understand why this is, it is helpful to look at what factors influence perception of fairness across policy actors. When individuals see decision-making as equally cooperative, it is much more likely for the resulting policies to be successful (Hamilton, 2018). By assessing previous successes in environmental governance, it can be seen that among the most prominent factors affecting perceived procedural fairness is collaboration among stakeholders. When policy actors interact with one another, especially in in-person settings, they often hold more trust for one another than if they rarely communicated. As this trust grows in these settings, so does perceived procedural fairness (Hamilton, 2018). The positive correlation between these two elements establishes an environment in which groups of people who commonly would not interact can form relationships (Hamilton, 2018). These partnerships encourage more effective collaboration in which all points of view can be heard. Furthermore, preconceived biases due to personal values heavily impact what someone perceives to be fair and right. Since a person’s values are deeply rooted in their individuality and are not very subject to change, overcoming them to reach a decision can seem daunting. However, via collaboration between people, as mentioned above, there is more opportunity for discussion of these values. This allows for stakeholders in environmental governance to draw similarities between their expectations and those of others to more effectively come to a conclusion. Participation at all levels of governance, national, state, and local, also helps promote procedural fairness in environmental governance (Hamilton, 2018). This ensures that the overarching policies are influenced by smaller groups that have more personal interactions with problems at hand. In addition to factors that positively influence procedural fairness in climate change governance, there are also elements that inhibit equality that must be addressed. To further understand this concept, analyzing how establishing equity in the decision-making process is a frequent obstacle in developing countries is a good place to start (Hamilton, 2018). One of the main problems in these countries is that much of the governing is done at a federal level without consideration of local policy preferences (Hamilton, 2018). This limits the information being presented to policy makers, frequently resulting in governance that does not effectively address the environmental issue at hand. Additionally, while some climate change governance processes may appear inclusive and fair, it is frequently the case that when analyzed in further detail, they are not fair in the slightest (Hamilton, 2018). All obstacles in environmental decision-making can be drawn back to one causation: inequal opportunities to participate in collaboration. The results are policies that cater to specific stakeholder groups, leading to a decline in collaboration and effective implementation (Hamilton, 2018). In conclusion, procedural fairness in climate change governance is a multifaceted issue that requires adequate attention and analysis to ensure equality. A common theme among this analysis is that, above all, a diverse group of stakeholders must participate and collaborate in decision making. Through this collaboration, relationships are formed, and procedural fairness is seen in a positive light. References Hamilton, M. (2018). Understanding what shapes varying perceptions of the procedural fairness of transboundary environmental decision-making processes. Ecology and Society,23(4). Retrieved April 27, 2021, from https://www.jstor.org/stable/26796881