Citizen Assemblies: Deliberative Mini-Publics for a Sustainable Future
Summary
To enable “immediate and deep emissions reductions across all sectors” of society (IPCC ), there is a need to change societal norms and behaviour. Unfortunately, just when structural changes are needed the most, trust in governments is historically low, and many citizens feel that the current systems do not work for them (OECD 2024). Therefore, there is also a high risk of political conflict and polarisation around climate politics, where different groups weigh the costs and benefits involved in a societal transformation towards more sustainable lifestyles (Patterson 2023). How might societies navigate thisnew and challenging situation?
A crucial part of the answer lies in fostering genuine democratic participation that can bolster political decision making and collective action (Willis 2020). To be both effective and enduring, societal transformations must engage citizens directly to foster a sense of ownership and legitimacy. Therefore, the deep societal transformations required to address the ongoing crises demand inclusive and democratic approaches (Dryzek andNiemeyer 2019; Willis et al. 2022).
