Case Study: Courage in Public Consultation
The UK Climate Assembly is the first public, participatory body to advance citizen views on the path to Net Zero. Drawn entirely from volunteers, the Assembly presents the first intelligence into citizen attitudes to ‘who bears the problem of solving Climate Change’.
Unlike paid government ‘qangos’, citizens from all walks of life and all across the UK, volunteered 6 weekends to attend the Assembly. Assembly members were asked to think about both the advantages and disadvantages of the various dependencies to a lasting Climate Change solution.
The Climate Assembly mirrors the following aspects of UNITE in building the public case to change:
- Listen – recognise many views of challenges and opportunities to avoid a premature solution
- Cut-Through – project the direct voice of citizens into advisor and decisioning forums
- Principles-Lead – understand the powers needed for citizens to demand the change we need
While digital channels allow citizens to report faults or request services of Local Authorities (mysociety.org), UNITE is central to a green eco-system that enables council action on Air Quality, the UK’s most significant environmental health problem.
