United Kingdom
Devon Climate Emergency
June - July 2021
As part of Devon's Carbon Plan, a Climate Assembly has been launched, to invite local people to take part in the decision-making processes and also to gather their views.
To bring together a representative group of the population to discuss the issues raised by climate change.
70 participants were selected to take part in this Citizens' Assembly, as part of the Devon Climate Energy partnership, which brings together public and private organisations, and which came into being on 22 May 2019. This multi-stakeholder partnership aims to support the principles of the Devon Climate Declaration.
The participants were chosen by a civic lottery, an internationally approved and recognised method. The selection process was organised by the Sortition Foundation, a not-for-profit social organisation that promotes fair, transparent and inclusive deliberative processes. Participants were selected from all respondents on the basis of seven criteria, in order to meet the requirement for demographic representation of the county of Devon.
Context
Devon Climate Emergency (DCE) is a partnership of public, private and voluntary organisations formed in May 2019 and that includes leaders from 29 local organisations across Devon. The group was established to provide strategic coordination for a collaborative response to the climate emergency in Devon.
Devon Climate Emergency is committed to creating a citizens' assembly to gather the views and recommendations of local people, enabling them to play an important role in the development of the Devon Carbon Plan.
https://constitution-unit.com/tag/devon-climate-change-assembly/
Description
Devon is a county in the south-west of England, bordered by Cornwall to the west, Dorset to the east and Somerset to the north-east. The county's administrative capital is Exeter. With an area of 6,707 km2, it is the fourth largest county in England. It has a population of around 1.1 million.
Emissions in the UK county of Devon stood at 7.67 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2021, following a 6% increase compared with 2020, when emissions reductions were heavily influenced by COVID restrictions.
Emissions have fallen by 21% since 2010. The Devon Carbon Plan has set a target of a 50% reduction by 2030 from 2010 levels and net zero by 2050 at the latest.
https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/studies-and-data/devons-carbon-footprint/
The aim of the Devon Climate Assembly, which is part of the Devon Climate Energy (DCE) partnership, is to obtain the views and grievances of the public in order to take the best possible action to achieve the Devon Carbon Plan target for 2030 and 2050.
The measures voted on at the end of these six weeks of deliberation could, if implemented, drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions across the whole of Devon.
However, the participants selected to represent the local population were not alone in reflecting on the issues surrounding climate change. They were accompanied by experts, who were able to give them the best possible insight into topics relating to this subject.
The main topic of the Devon Climate Assembly was "How can Devon adapt to the challenges posed by climate change?"
The deliberations focused on three main areas:
In the first week, the entire Assembly met to lay the foundations of the climate emergency and to explain the course of the deliberations. The participants then split into three groups during the second week. Each group focused on one of the three major themes mentioned. Following these discussions, the Assembly reconvened to report back on the work and deliberations collectively, proposing a series of resolutions that had been drawn up in response to the general questions put to the Assembly. These measures will then be studied by the DCE partners as part of the Devon Carbon Plan.
https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/devon-climate-assembly/devon-climate-assembly-report/
Some of the resolutions were very well received, in particular the one stating that more financial support should be given to those wishing to "upgrade" their homes to energy standards. This resolution was supported by 93% of the members of the Assembly!
Indeed, around 21% of Devon's climate emissions are generated by housing. For example, a typical three-bedroom house uses an average of 21,500 kWh of energy per year for heating, hot water, running appliances and lighting. In contrast, a fully renovated house fitted with solar panels would only need 4,300 kWh of energy per year.
Methodology
The tools and methods used included small group discussions, collaborative sessions to generate ideas and questions, plenary discussions and the collection of quantitative and qualitative data from each member.
The meetings were convened and facilitated by Involve, the UK's leading public participation charity, which was appointed to organise the Assembly and final report following an open tender process.
Results
The recommendations of the Devon Climate Assembly have been considered by the Net-Zero Working Group and the Devon Climate Emergency Taskforce, and relevant actions have been incorporated into the final Devon Carbon Plan. The Devon Carbon Plan is an evidence-based plan that sets out how Devon can reduce its emissions to zero by 2050 at the latest.
Resources
Citizen Assembly’s website : https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/citizens-assembly/
https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/devon-carbon-plan/citizens-assembly/
Official report: https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/devon-climate-assembly/devon-climate-assembly-report/
https://www.devon.gov.uk/news/devons-climate-assembly-shows-the-way-to-a-net-zero-future/
https://devonclimateemergency.org.uk/studies-and-data/devons-carbon-footprint/
https://participedia.net/case/8260
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