We are delighted to see the launch of Climate Assembly UK, which will be facilitated by Involve, who are funded by the House of Commons with additional funding from Esmée Fairbairn Foundation (£200,000) and the European Climate Foundation.
This month, the Government will be sending out invitations to UK residents to participate in a Citizen's Assembly focusing on climate change. A Citizens' Assembly "on climate and ecological justice" is the third demand of Extinction Rebellion UK.
What will Climate Assembly UK consider?
Climate Assembly UK will consider how the UK should reach its net zero emissions by 2050 target, sitting on four weekends between January and the middle of March next year in Birmingham. A report back to the committees will be made public in April. The general election will not affect the running of the assembly.
Participants will be representative of the UK population in terms of age, gender, educational qualification, ethnicity, where in the UK they live, whether they live in an urban or rural area, and their attitudes to climate change.
About Involve
Involve was founded in 2003 to “to create a new focus for thinking and action on the links between new forms of public participation and existing democratic institutions”. They have been promoting and practising participatory and deliberative decision-making ever since. Involve are the main point of contact for assembly members; they are responsible for ensuring that Climate Assembly UK is a high-quality citizens’ assembly. Involve will work closely with the expert leads on the assembly’s design, focussing on areas such as the assembly’s structure, timings and accessibility. Involve will also provide the facilitation team for the assembly and manage the project overall.
If you would like more information on the assembly or how it is run visit Involve and Parliament UK websites for further updates.
You can also follow the conversation on Twitter @involveUK #ClimateAssemblyUK
When will this be happening?
From Wednesday 6 November, 30,000 invitation letters will be landing on doormats across the UK inviting people to join Climate Assembly UK.
The assembly members will then meet over four weekends in Spring 2020. Find out more at climateassembly.uk.