FDSD has long supported the wider use of participatory and deliberative processes such as citizens’ assemblies in bringing the voice of citizens into political decision making. We are therefore delighted that the first weekend of the UK Climate Assembly has been a success.
The Assembly has been commissioned by six Parliamentary Select Committees and will provide recommendations on how the UK can realise its commitment to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The first weekend focused primarily on learning, with the 110 selected citizens listening to evidence and questioning a range of witnesses on the science and ethics of the climate crisis. The Assembly will meet for a further three weekends in February and March, learning, deliberating and coming to recommendations in areas such as energy provision and consumption, transportation and food and farming.
The witness sessions from the Assembly are live-streamed and archived on its website—a significant resource for future engagement and education activities.
Graham Smith, Chair of FDSD and a recognised international authority on citizens’ assemblies comments: “Our government seems unwilling to take the difficult decisions necessary to make the just transition to a net zero carbon future a reality. It is time to bring the wisdom of citizens to bear. FDSD looks forward to the fruits of the Assembly’s deliberations and trusts that its recommendations are taken seriously by decision makers”.
Links
- See the Climate Assembly UK website.
- Citizens’ assemblies have a vital role to play in kick-starting the tough steps needed to respond to the climate emergency, our chair Prof Graham Smith argues in ths blog from June 2019. But the detail of how they will work is critical.
