| Summary: | Despite understanding the need to become sustainable, and knowing some of the actions
required to reach this end, barriers exist that prevent individuals, and society, from adopting actions
that support sustainability. To understand what some of these barriers are, the case of Vancouver's
attempt to implement the 1990 Clouds of Change recommendations has been analysed. Councillors,
civic staff, Task Force on Atmospheric Change members and citizens who participated in the Task
Force's public participation process were asked to identify what they perceived as the barriers to
action-taking by the City to implement the recommendations. Fifty-eight people were interviewed.
The barriers identified fell within three categories: Perceptual/Behavioural, Institutional/Structural
and Economic/Financial. Analysis reveals how the barriers functioned, which ones were perceived as
causing the greatest impediment to implementation of the recommendations, what conditions
facilitated implementation of some recommendations, and suggestions regarding how some barriers
may be overcome in the future. The six most commonly cited barriers were: lack of understanding
about the issues, perceived lack of empowerment, competing issues, inadequate funds, fear of losing
constituent support and limitation of jurisdiction. Other important barriers were: differences in
perception, inappropriate structure of government (vertical), weak linkages among the policies of
civic and senior levels of government and weak communication linkages between government and
its constituents. Many of the barriers identified contributed to a low degree of civic participation in
the City. Suggestions for improving government effectiveness, in terms of its ability to implement
the Clouds of Change recommendations focussed on ways of improving civic participation among
citizens. Suggestions regarding the amendment of government structures and decision-making
processes are also presented.
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