Citizens’ Assemblies are made up of a randomly-selected group of people who represent the diversity of a community or country. They are brought together to learn about and discuss an important issue and to draw conclusions on what decision-makers should do. 

For decades, Citizens’ Assemblies have been used across the world to come up with recommendations on issues from abortion rights to voting systems. Citizens’ Assemblies have been proven to help reach compromises on contested issues, and to include a greater diversity of views and representatives in political processes. They are now being used to guide decisions on the climate emergency. 

Giving citizens more say could help speed up action, by showing politicians the scale of their desire for change, and empowering their voices relative to fossil fuel interests and other blockers of change. This can give communities a greater role in the design of policies that will affect everyone. It could also make societies more resilient as the climate emergency worsens, as they give people a greater sense of responsibility and control over helping their community through difficult issues.

Citizens’ Assemblies convening on the climate emergency are increasingly common at local and national levels. They often recommend faster, more equitable action. But these demands have often been ignored or watered down by decision-makers.

Add 1 Social Resilience token to your player board.
You may take this action once per Society tag in this card's stack per round.

• Global Assembly 

• Climate Citizens 

• 📕 Too Hot to Handle? - The Democratic Challenge of Climate Change by Rebecca Willis 

• Citizens' Assemblies (Sortition Foundation)

• Join the Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies, a network for sharing best practice on the design and implementation of Climate Assemblies.

• Support Extinction Rebellion demands for assemblies.

• Support deliberative democracy in the Majority World.