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The role of grassroots organisations in educating people to take action for climate change : a case study for public education in Singapore
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Type
Thesis
Author
Wi, Andy Chee Yong
Supervisor
Chang, Chew Hung
Abstract
Despite the proliferation of information about climate change, there are still people who remain rather indifferent to the issue. The problem with many public environmental efforts in Singapore is that they focus too much on giving information while little is done to help the people understand the given information. A gap exists between what the government wants the people to know and do, and what the people actually know and do. This frames the key research problem of the study “How can we get people to take action for climate change?” This study advances a conceptual framework of the Grassroots Approach (GRA) on how grassroots activities and initiatives can help to educate climate conscious behaviour in people.
This GRA framework consists of the 6 key stages of Policy Planning, Information & Implementation, Consultation, Involvement, Feedback and Advisory. To operationalise this study, the data collection for the 6 key stages was classified into 3 phases. In the first phase, an interview was conducted with a policymaker, to gather information on the formation of Singapore’s climate change strategy and how the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) plays a part in advising the government on climate change issues. In the second phase, interviews were conducted with the grassroots leaders (GRLs) to identify the process on how policy information is passed from the government to the people and the different feedback channels. In the third phase, 173 residents who agreed to participate in the study were invited to attend the Public Education Programme (PEP) and complete a pre/post-survey. At the end of the study, a focus group discussion was conducted to uncover their perceptions on how effective the strategies were and what more can be done to encourage more residents to adopt climate conscious behaviour.
The PEP is an intervention programme created by the researcher, with the aim of motivating residents to adopt climate conscious behaviour. The GRA is designed around the PEP that is not just aimed at disseminating facts or explaining policies, but a curriculum that helps people consume the information, transform the information into knowledge and action. Without the grassroots organisations (GROs), it is impossible to achieve this, because it will be just a top-down process and a bottom-up process with an absence of activity in between. This study shows that top-down policies are effective in creating awareness but do not motivate people to take action. However, the bottom-up initiatives are effective in motivating residents to adopt climate conscious behaviour but are lacking in agency and in making decisions for the group.
While the GRA framework was tested within Singapore’s grassroots environment in the context of climate change, it can be directly applicable to policies governed by the other Singapore agencies, such as Health Promotion Board (HPB), National Environmental Agency (NEA), and Housing and Development Board (HDB). The present findings demonstrate that the implementation of the PEP together with the support from the GROs, increase peoples’ understanding of climate change and provide better motivation for people to adopt climate conscious behaviour. The time to act for climate change is now. It is not just anyone’s effort in particular, but everyone’s effort is needed collectively to engage our common environmental future.
This GRA framework consists of the 6 key stages of Policy Planning, Information & Implementation, Consultation, Involvement, Feedback and Advisory. To operationalise this study, the data collection for the 6 key stages was classified into 3 phases. In the first phase, an interview was conducted with a policymaker, to gather information on the formation of Singapore’s climate change strategy and how the National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) plays a part in advising the government on climate change issues. In the second phase, interviews were conducted with the grassroots leaders (GRLs) to identify the process on how policy information is passed from the government to the people and the different feedback channels. In the third phase, 173 residents who agreed to participate in the study were invited to attend the Public Education Programme (PEP) and complete a pre/post-survey. At the end of the study, a focus group discussion was conducted to uncover their perceptions on how effective the strategies were and what more can be done to encourage more residents to adopt climate conscious behaviour.
The PEP is an intervention programme created by the researcher, with the aim of motivating residents to adopt climate conscious behaviour. The GRA is designed around the PEP that is not just aimed at disseminating facts or explaining policies, but a curriculum that helps people consume the information, transform the information into knowledge and action. Without the grassroots organisations (GROs), it is impossible to achieve this, because it will be just a top-down process and a bottom-up process with an absence of activity in between. This study shows that top-down policies are effective in creating awareness but do not motivate people to take action. However, the bottom-up initiatives are effective in motivating residents to adopt climate conscious behaviour but are lacking in agency and in making decisions for the group.
While the GRA framework was tested within Singapore’s grassroots environment in the context of climate change, it can be directly applicable to policies governed by the other Singapore agencies, such as Health Promotion Board (HPB), National Environmental Agency (NEA), and Housing and Development Board (HDB). The present findings demonstrate that the implementation of the PEP together with the support from the GROs, increase peoples’ understanding of climate change and provide better motivation for people to adopt climate conscious behaviour. The time to act for climate change is now. It is not just anyone’s effort in particular, but everyone’s effort is needed collectively to engage our common environmental future.
Date Issued
2017
Call Number
GE195.7 Wi
Date Submitted
2017