The messy politics of local climate assemblies

Abstract

In recent years, many local authorities in the UK have run local climate assemblies (LCAs) such as citizens’ assemblies or juries, with the goal of developing citizen-led solutions to the climate crisis. In this essay, we argue that a ‘convenient fiction’ often underpins the way local authority actors explain the rationale for running LCAs. This convenient fiction runs as follows: LCAs are commissioned as a response to the climate threat, and local decision-makers work through LCA recommendations to implement appropriate policies in their locality. We suggest that this narrative smooths over and presents as linear a process that is in fact messy and political. LCAs emerge as a result of political pressure and bargaining. Once LCAs have run their course, the extent to which their recommendations are implemented is dependent on power dynamics and institutional capacities. We argue that it is important to surface the messiness and political tensions that underpin the origins and aftermath of local climate assemblies. This achieves three things. First, it helps manage expectations about the impact LCAs are likely to have on the policy process. Second, it broadens understandings of how LCAs can contribute to change. Third, it provides a complex model that actors can use to understand how they can help deliver climate action through politics. We conclude that LCAs are important — if as yet unproven — new interventions in local climate politics, when assessed against this more complex picture.

The Extinction Rebellion and going beyond politics: can deliberation be the answer in climate mitigation?

“…Some studies find that deliberation can influence policymaking, while other analyses suggest that deliberative processes have a limited impact on (local) policymaking -and that the impact varies and can be indirect (e.g. encouraging citizenship or enhancing participants' social capital or building political pressure) (Goodin & Dryzek 2006;Michels & Binnema 2018;Lewis et al 2023). Studies suggest that the policy impact of a deliberative mini-public may be dependent, for example, on the connection to civic society, the policy issue, and process design (Michels & Binnema 2018), related to how connected and embedded the deliberative process is with (local) politics (Caluwaerts & Reuchamps 2016;Hendriks 2016) and how tangible the issues are (Pogrebinschi & Ryan 2017;Michels & Binnema 2018).…”

“…The political mandate derives from the political establishment since Citizens' Assemblies are organized, at least hopefully, in connection with political institutions, and their recommendations are aimed at political authorities. Evidence from local climate Citizens' Assemblies suggests that an unclear mandate, that is, no clear political purpose, and lack of processes to how the recommendations are intended to be used leaves the assemblies' impact lacking and role marginal (Ejsing et al 2023;Lewis et al 2023). Citizens' Assemblies are rendered into a 'consultative role' without agenda-setting or decision-making power.…”

“…Citizens' Assemblies are rendered into a 'consultative role' without agenda-setting or decision-making power. Implementing a Citizens' Assemblies recommendations depends on political power dynamics and institutional capacities (Lewis et al 2023). Since governments can react positively to Citizens' Assemblies recommendations or ignore the call to adopt specific policies altogether, the outcome and impact depend significantly on the political establishment.…”

“…Perhaps the hope is put on citizen reaction; If the government ignores the Citizens' Assemblies recommendation, it can lead to citizens' dissatisfaction with the system or even citizen apathy, or alternatively to protest (Lewis et al 2023). Even after going beyond politics, the climate strike movement must continue to pressure decision-makers in the face of inadequate climate mitigation.…”

The importance of place in climate action

“…Coalitions such as climate commissions offer a structure to facilitate collective decision-making, knowledge exchange, peer support and collaboration around climate adaptation and mitigation priorities which may be too large in scope for a local authority to tackle alone [7]. Central to this is local public engagement and new (sometimes termed 'experimental') modes of building democratic legitimacy and broadening participation to include marginalised communities, such as via citizen juries and assemblies [8].…”