Democracy demands a public mandate, translating our common will into policies that can benefit the whole. This is especially true for the climate crisis, as we face a ‘brief and rapidly closing window’ (IPCC) to act for a liveable future. Despite the urgency and gravity of this moment, public discourse on the issue is increasingly fragmented, partisan, and unmoored from science. Climate action has become a lightning rod for conspiracism and mistrust of institutions and is being weaponised to deepen social divisions. How did we get here? Who stands to benefit? And, above all, how can we chart a pathway forward?

Read Jennie King’s full manuscript.

Speaker:

• Lecturer: Jennie King, Director of Climate Policy & Research, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, London & Co-Founder of Climate Action Against Disinformation (CAAD)

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The climate crisis demands democracy reform. Climate assemblies -and similar deliberative mechanisms- can be innovative and important parts in the democratic toolbox. But what works and what doesn’t? What can we learn from existing experiences, both in the Global North and the Global South? How can we best engage citizens to meaningfully participate in climate decision-making? This lecture makes the case for more inclusive and effective climate action through citizen deliberation – at the local, national and global level.

The lecture will be opened by Dr. Kevin Casas-Zamora, Secretary-General, International IDEA, and followed by a conversation with Dr. Tim Daw, Project Leader, Swedish Climate Assembly.

Moderator: Matthias Jäger, Head of Climate Change and Democracy, International IDEA.

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Speaker:

• Lecturer: Nicole Curato, Professor of Political Sociology at the Centre for Deliberative Democracy and Global Governance, University of Canberra

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