Lesson Learnt from a Participatory Integrated Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Options in Firms

Lessons learnt from a participatory integrated assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction options in firms are discussed. Scenarios are used to provide a link with short-term policy developments and a model assists to communicate quantitative effects of options to participating stakeholders. An approach that is a proposal for more systematic Participatory Integrated Assessments (PIAs) identifying effective public policies for short-term GHG emission reduction options in firms is proposed. The approach is applied in a case study to identify effective options for non-CO sub(2) GHG emission reductions in Dutch dairy farms. It is concluded that this improved approach may substantially contribute to the quality of environmental policies, the relevance of which is undoubted, given the high stakes involved and reluctance for voluntary action by polluters.