France
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Region
01-11-2023
Experiment conducted from November 2023 to June 2024
30-06-2024
The Convention Citoyenne pour le Climat et la Biodiversité de la région Bourgogne-Franche-Comté is a participatory democratic process involving 50 citizens chosen by lot. Their mission is to propose solutions to environmental issues, in particular climate change and biodiversity loss. Organized by the Region, the convention began in November 2023 and runs in several sessions until June 2024, where citizens exchange with experts and local players to feed into regional public policies
The main objective of this citizens' convention is to enable citizens to reflect on and propose concrete solutions to meet the challenges of climate change and biodiversity erosion, guiding regional public action. Through a democratic process, the Region seeks to integrate the voices of civil society into the development of its environmental policies, while encouraging the emergence of responsible and sustainable practices in consumption, mobility, housing, agriculture and other key sectors.
The convention involves a group of 50 randomly selected citizens, representing the demographic diversity of the region, including a variety of ages, genders, professions, and places of residence (urban and rural). By February 2024, at the convention's third session, 36 citizens were actively engaged.
These participants showed a strong desire to take action for their future, although finding available citizens for this participatory process required a great deal of effort (13,973 telephone calls). This panel reflects a variety of opinions and perspectives, yet is united by a common goal: to meet the environmental challenges facing the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region.
Source: Citoyens, élus et salariés ayant participé à la convention citoyenne en Bourgogne-Franche-Comté • © Isabelle Brunnarius - France Tv
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, a region located in the center-east of France, is distinguished by its diverse landscapes, ranging from the Jura Mountains to the plains of the Saône, and by its local culture marked by wine and craftsmanship. With about 2.8 million inhabitants, the region is also an active participant in the ecological transition and biodiversity conservation. It implements initiatives to promote renewable energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect nature, notably through the creation of natural reserves (four regional natural parks, including the Morvan) and support for sustainable agricultural practices. The Regional Council also encourages sustainable mobility, recycling, and responsible resource management, thus reconciling economic development with environmental respect.
Citizen assemblies for climate in France are part of a broader movement of deliberative democracy, aiming to involve citizens in environmental decision-making. The most emblematic example is the Citizens' Convention on Climate, launched at the national level in 2019, which has served as a model for several regional initiatives, including that of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
The Citizens' Convention for Climate and Biodiversity stands out for its participatory and inclusive methodology. The experience began in November 2023 with a series of two-day sessions that allowed citizens to familiarize themselves with local environmental issues through the intervention of scientific experts and institutional stakeholders. These experts provide knowledge on key themes such as mobility, circular economy, sustainable agriculture, and natural resource management.
After each session, citizens exchange their ideas and personal experiences to fuel collective reflection on the actions to be taken at the regional level.
The process is marked by open debates where citizens present their proposals on various aspects of the ecological transition. During the sessions, political figures such as Marie-Guite Dufay, the president of the region, Stéphanie Modde, vice-president of the region in charge of ecological transition, and representatives from GREBE (Regional Expert Group on Biodiversity and Environment), were present to engage with participants and support the initiative. Climate and the effects of climate disruption, such as droughts and forest degradation, were starting points for discussions. One of the major concerns of citizens is to offer proposals that are both achievable and ambitious to improve local practices while considering global ecological constraints. In addition, experts in environmental and climate fields were present to assist in the debates. Among them, Daniel Gilbert, president of the association "The Future Has Already Begun," came to offer his support and knowledge.
This process unfolds over several sessions, with a final report scheduled for June 2024, where citizens will present their concrete recommendations to regional elected officials. In total, 272 proposals were put forward, covering sectors as varied as transport, energy, agriculture, and natural resource management. Of the 272 proposals from the Convention members, and considering the regional competencies, 34% are outside the scope of regional competence, 29% are proposals based on existing rules but that need to be amplified or modified, and 6% are new proposals related to the competencies of the Burgundy-Franche-Comté region.
The final report of the Citizens' Convention for Climate and Biodiversity consists of 69 pages, which were presented to the elected officials of the majority of the Regional Council. Some proposals will be integrated into the region's ecological planning, while others, outside of regional competence, will be forwarded to other bodies, such as the State. However, some participants express a certain skepticism regarding the real impact of their proposals, wondering if they will actually be implemented by the elected officials. What stands out is the common concern that "by 2050, the climate of Dijon will be Mediterranean." Nevertheless, the initiative sparks a shared hope that public action will be aligned with the needs and expectations of citizens in the face of the major environmental challenges of our time.
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