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Dialogue and Resilience in Environmental Health Controversies

Funded by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES), this document is the fourth and final part of a research project titled "Risk Representation and the Co-production of Expert and Lay Knowledge in Resolving Radiofrequency Controversies in France and Quebec (RISQUE)." In the form of a reference framework, this knowledge transfer document focuses on the development of a dialogue-based approach among stakeholders in controversial issues, such as electromagnetic fields (EMF). It first addresses the topic of community resilience in the context of social conflicts and, secondly, the participatory approach that appears most promising in controversial issues: consultation. The main key messages of the framework are:

• A so-called “resilient” community can return to a viable state by restoring the connections and capacities of both individuals and the group in the face of social conflicts or environmental changes.

• Six capacities, or dimensions, constitute resilience understood as a process: the capacity for absorption, recovery, learning, self-organization and social innovation, the use of technological innovations and scientific and local knowledge, and, finally, the acceptance and anticipation of means to adapt.

• In a context of social conflicts, increasing resilience and community capacities relies on a methodological and conceptual framework. Consultation, participatory governance, and community support are means to achieve this.

• Consultation aims to achieve mutual benefit and, consequently, greater ownership of the project, plan, or policy by citizens and various stakeholders.

• A shared commitment, openness toward others, and confidence in the process are the attitudes and behaviors characteristic of the cooperative environment required for the success of the consultation process.

• Consultation requires strengthening information and consultation mechanisms. These steps, which can be linked to transparency, are essential to ensure that all stakeholders have access to and understand the issues and choices involved.

• Implementing consultation, like any other participatory approach, requires preparation and consideration of temporal (when?), relational (who?), spatial (where?), and logistical (how?) aspects.

• In short, dialogue on controversial issues is desirable to prevent conflicts from undermining a community’s capabilities and to ensure community development that reflects the diverse perspectives of all stakeholders.