Procedural Justice in Climate Change Adaptations

Procedural justice is important in that it enables community members to be involved in decision making processes. This plays a key role in climate change adaptation, especially at the local scale. When community members are involved in decision making processes, this can lead to empowerment. An example of this can be shown in Namibia, where the government is currently working on the decentralization of the water supplies. See the location of Namibia on the map pictured below. The community members have more knowledge of their water supplies and can better manage them than the central government. The locals are trained on how to properly manage it and then government is no longer involved in the decision making process regarding the water supply points. However, when using a top-down approach, it is important to leave “headroom”. This can be defined as space for the locals to adjust the practice or regulation to fit their needs. This way, all communities are not bound to the same guidelines. It is important to remember that even when procedural justice is present, it can still cause problems. In Namibia, since the government is no longer involved in the controlling of the water supply, elites have taken control of some sources. This has resulted in some groups having to work for the elites, or paying the elites to gain access to the water. In some cases marginalized groups have been completely excluded from water supplies. This shows that procedural justice is an ongoing process that isn’t perfect. Ideally, procedural justice will lead to the empowerment of communities. However, the problems caused by it can not be ignored. Lastly, adaptations can help to reform societal norms instead of continuing to enforce them. For example, by including the community in conversations, marginalized groups can become more involved and have a voice in the decision making process. Overall, justice concerns around adaptation are not only reactive but reconstructive, it is important that adaptation is viewed as a transformation.

To read more about the decentralization project in Namibia see this article: Schlosberg, D., Collins, L., (2014). From Environmental to Climate Justice: Climate Change and the Discourse of Environmental Justice. WIRES Climate Change. 5. 359-374.

(Allison Shryock)