When Participation in Regional Development is not Only About Jobs: an Analysis of California’s Experience

Abstract

This essay entails an analysis about the social conflict established over the choices for California’s future. In November 2010 citizens chose through election process to establish mitigation and adaptation to climate change as a regional development strategy, and this implies higher costs. Few regional development strategies have experienced such an engaged endorsement by the people. We present a description of the process, and review its main actors, objectives, strategies and results. Based on this experience, we seek to provide an analysis about key elements for the quality of civic participation. From the attitudes taken by the private sector in California, it’s possible to conclude that there is no support to arguments often present in the headlines, that climate change is a non-tariff barrier from the industrialized North to prevent the development of the South, or that a cap-and-trade system represents a strategy for business as usual. From the experience of California, we support the argument that mitigation and adaptation to climate change will provide structural changes – in pricing – for the economy.