More participatory democracy to tackle climate change
- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly
debate on 29 September 2021 (27th sitting) (see Doc. 15351, report of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy,
rapporteur: Mr George Papandreou). Text
adopted by the Assembly on 29 September 2021 (27th sitting).See
also Recommendation 2212
(2021).
1. The 2015 Paris Agreement adopted
by the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change, which was signed by all 47 Council of Europe member States,
calls for stronger climate action and, along with a worldwide citizen
movement strongly driven by young people, has created political
pressure and momentum for more ambitious climate action throughout
the world.
2. The Parliamentary Assembly refers to its
Resolution 2210 (2018) “Climate
change and implementation of the Paris Agreement” stressing the
importance of parliamentary action in taking strong national measures
to promote the implementation of the Paris Agreement at all levels
of governance, and calling on national parliaments to ensure that
dedicated structures, mechanisms and resources are in place for
stepping up national efforts to fight climate change.
3. Noting that the climate crisis caused by humankind is also
responsible for the upsurge in pandemics and zoonotic diseases,
the Assembly reiterates its call for immediate action to prevent
future catastrophic events. Climate change demands long-term adaptation
and changes in behaviour, production and consumption patterns, and
only informed and committed citizens will be able to show resilience
and engage in a collective dynamic.
4. While protest movements have shown their strength, the positions
voiced need an institutional structure to allow for sustainable,
regular and effective public participation. The Assembly strongly
believes that representative democracy can be enriched by meaningful
public participation, which also provides a credible response to
citizens’ demands, especially from young people, to be more regularly
involved in decision making and in the debate on the ecological
transition and the green recovery plan.
5. The Assembly therefore urges governments to combine clear
political engagement and top-down leadership with bottom-up, participatory
governance, to tackle the urgency of the climate crisis and ensure meaningful
contributions from citizens. Deliberative democracy can also provide
an antidote to the resurgent threat of authoritarian regimes and
reinvigorate democratic practices.
6. In this respect, stressing the need to increase citizens’
active participation and ensure further involvement of all people
in the conduct of public affairs, the Assembly refers to its
Resolution 1746 and
Recommendation 1928 (2010) “Democracy
in Europe: crisis and perspectives
”,
in which it called on all Council of Europe member States to establish
participatory and deliberative mechanisms, such as citizens’ juries
or conferences, to facilitate citizens’ participation in decision
making on a public matter that is of urgent concern to them.
7. In line with its
Resolution
2271 and
Recommendation
2150 (2019) “Strengthening co-operation with the United
Nations in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”
and
Resolution 2369 (2021) “The
Assembly’s vision on the strategic priorities for the Council of
Europe”, the Assembly also reiterates its firm support for achieving
the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in particular
Goal number 16, “Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable
development”, which includes Target 16.7, “Ensure responsive, inclusive,
and participatory and representative decision-making at all levels”.
8. The Assembly notes that citizens’ assemblies in particular
represent a way to tap into collective wisdom, restore trust in
politics and allow citizens to reclaim the public space which has
been taken over by social media. Citizens’ input can inform environmental
action and provide governments with useful information on people’s
preferences, the compromises they are ready to make and the public
support for action.
9. To be relevant and credible, citizens’ assemblies should:
9.1 base their work on reason, evidence,
arguments, perspectives and different forms of knowledge and not
be dominated by power, money or partisan logic;
9.2 aim to reduce the excessive influence of interest groups
and lobbies and select citizens randomly while ensuring that they
represent different age groups, qualification levels, socio-economic backgrounds
and areas of residence;
9.3 ensure close co-operation with the scientific community
to reach meaningful science-based decisions;
9.4 challenge vested interests and engage a wide range of
stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), particularly
youth NGOs, and industry and environmental activists;
9.5 generate a national debate to create a sense of empowerment
and self-confidence among citizens, prepare the ground for public
support of the proposed measures and put pressure on policy makers
to implement the recommendations.
10. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of decision makers to
give power to the recommendations and proposals of citizens’ assemblies
and ensure that they are incorporated into the policy process, including
via parliamentary committees.
11. The Assembly argues that the fight against climate change
may require action far beyond what citizens’ assemblies have proposed
thus far and future citizens’ assemblies need to address the underlying
systemic drivers of the climate emergency. This involves,
inter alia:
11.1 being explicit about the need for ambitious systemic change;
11.2 sharing with citizens the most significant forecasts available
of the impacts of climate change to explicitly illustrate the real
consequences on the lives of people throughout the world;
11.3 taking into account all possible scenarios by adopting
a future-focused approach;
11.4 designing a robust independent process, including procedures
on key decisions, the setting of an agenda, the selection of experts
and voting procedures;
11.5 allowing citizens to influence the agenda, which enhances
ownership and creativity, and has the benefit of addressing polarisation;
11.6 ensuring that citizens’ recommendations are complemented
by expertise, cost assessments and evidence-based input;
11.7 providing for an accountable follow-up, allowing citizens’
assembly members to evaluate and provide input to any draft legislation
which results from their deliberations.
12. The Assembly believes that involving young people in decision-making
processes addressing the fight against the climate crisis is of
key importance and refers to the work of the Advisory Council on
Youth of the Council of Europe, which is a living example of participatory
democracy at European level and serves as a model to all member
States engaging in participatory processes.
13. Referring to the Council of Europe Charter on Education for
Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights Education and to the Reference
Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, the Assembly calls
on all Council of Europe member States to encourage continuous youth
participation and citizenship education in schools and universities,
as well as with groups of citizens and NGOs. This includes giving
children and young people the right to participate in decision-making
processes, which is key to empowering them to participate in public
life and fosters critical thinking and engagement in democratic
practices.
14. Furthermore, the Assembly welcomes the European Union Conference
on the Future of Europe, an open and inclusive exercise in deliberative
democracy which seeks to engage citizens directly to help guide Europe’s
future direction and policy making through a Europe-wide series
of citizens’ assemblies and panels, including multilingual digital
platforms. As a follow-up to its joint debate on the environment
and human rights, the Assembly should contribute to the conference
to make the case for the universal legal recognition of the right
to live in a healthy environment.
15. Finally, the Assembly underlines the potential to use public
deliberation to tackle public policy problems that require the consideration
of both values and evidence, and encourages all Council of Europe
member States to embed deliberative processes in the policy cycle
to facilitate the constructive reconciliation of a multitude of
interests.