Is a World Climate Assembly necessary?
It has been almost ten years since the world met in Paris and finally agreed to take climate disaster prevention seriously. But while there is a consensus on the structural economic reforms needed to transform sectors like energy, transport, and agriculture, the pace of investment is insufficient. On the contrary, governments are struggling to provide an adequate response to an increasingly evident and severe climate and ecological crisis. Many governments have proposed strong measures against climate change, but these often generate social backlash, as they are perceived as unfair and inequitable. Many see policies that pit the old against the young, cities against the countryside, or the Global North against the Global South. These controversies find fertile ground on social media, where they thrive and degenerate into a hell of misinformation, inflammatory rhetoric, and polarization.
That major reforms are needed is no longer in dispute; the question is how to implement them fairly, and this will become increasingly difficult as we move forward with the transition to carbon neutrality. For most people, addressing the climate crisis is a major concern: in a survey conducted in eighteen G-20 countries, 71% of respondents agreed that immediate, significant action is needed to reduce carbon emissions. But only 39% believe that the actions of their respective governments will be effective.
One way to address this divergence is to allow citizen participation in the development and implementation of climate action policies and measures designed by governments. Instead of top-down, technocratic imposition, governments should combine directive ("top-down") methodologies with participatory ("bottom-up") ones that bring ordinary citizens together to formulate a shared vision for the future. There are already successful examples of these participatory methods. In France, there are "citizens' assemblies," decision-making bodies made up of randomly selected individuals, with demographic representation, who deliberate on a specific topic of public interest and recommend policies. In addition to encouraging consensus on divisive issues, citizens' assemblies educate the public on complex governance issues and give citizens a direct role in the decisions that affect them. These elements are especially important for issues such as the transition to carbon neutrality, which involves major economic transformations with the potential to create divisions in societies. Unlike politicians, assembly members make decisions without electoral pressure or pressure from special interest groups. Notable examples include the assemblies in Ireland that debated same-sex marriage and abortion, leading to national referendums and groundbreaking laws. Another example is the French climate assembly, which helped shape the most ambitious climate bill in France to date.
Brazil's long-standing participatory approach to policymaking has also been very successful. For example, the Brazilian Climate Plan is developed through a governance structure that includes various federal government ministries alongside representatives from the scientific community, subnational governments, the private sector, and civil society.
A participatory climate platform has also been created where all Brazilian citizens can engage in dialogue (digitally or in person) and propose solutions. This participatory process has been strengthened by the fact that the Brazilian National Conference on the Environment and the National Council for Economic and Social Development have assigned high priority to the Climate Plan.
These methods can avoid potential sources of polarization when formulating climate policy proposals and, instead, generate opportunities for collaboration and deliberation. In G-20 countries, 62% of people agree with the use of citizens' assemblies for decision-making, and this figure already exceeds 70% in countries like Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, and South Africa, and is over 80% in Kenya. More than 170 citizens' assemblies have been held in over thirty countries, with the aim of accelerating climate action in ways that lead to a just and equitable transition for all.
Taking the World Social Forum as a model, what we need now is a World Social and Climate Forum, or a World Citizens' Assembly for People and Planet, that brings together citizens from all countries, not only to chart a collective path to the future, but also to reimagine politics. It would give humanity an opportunity to come together, understand each other's aspirations and fears, and co-create a green transition that benefits everyone. We can forge a new social contract based on solidarity, equity, and justice.
In 2015, France and Peru created a mechanism called the Action Agenda because they recognized that the climate crisis demands changes on a scale that transcends government action and also calls for the wealth of ideas that civil society (including businesses, cities, and communities) can offer. As countries prepare to announce their next climate commitments in 2025, we must recognize the fundamental role of ordinary citizens (individually and collectively) in responding to the climate crisis. At COP30 and beyond, we must provide a space that allows all voices to be heard and ensures a transition that is not only rapid but also just. Otherwise, our shared goals will be unattainable. That is why Brazil is determined to make COP30 (November 2025) the People's COP, ensuring that every inhabitant of the Earth has the opportunity to participate in the decisions that will affect the future of all humanity. Copyright Project Syndicate
