Local Democracy Talks – Participatory Climate Action: 5 Local Government Innovations

This panel, which is organized by ICLD in partnership with People Powered and IOPD, brings together a group of actors from all over the world to share their experiences of democratic innovations that aims to promote involvement and participation of citizens in response to climate change. Can local democracy be a solution to climate change? What are the limitations and what can be achieved?

On August 9^th, against the backdrop of shattered temperature records and terrifying fires and floods, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) delivered its starkest warning yet about climate change. The IPCC report provided unequivocal proof that humans are responsible and clarified the relationship between climate change and intensifying specific weather events, such as extreme heat waves and heavy rainfall. It is “a reality check [that gives us] a clearer picture of the past, present and future climate, which is essential for understanding where we are headed, what can be done, and how we can prepare” (IPCC, 2021).

But as it is increasingly obvious that more must be done to reverse the current trajectory, figuring out what action to take on climate change remains politically difficult: It means changing many policies and practices that are deeply rooted in our way of life.

In a democratic system, where political leaders are accountable to voters for their actions, decisions that forces citizens to change their behavior may not be awarded. This unavoidable feature of the system itself has even led to the accusation that, when it comes to climate change, democracy is more of a problem than a solution.

By reaching out to politicians and practitioners and share examples of democracy initiatives that helps achieve the SDGs at the local level, the panel aims to be a starter for conversation and action. The local democracy talks are conducted in a virtual format that last for one hour. They are live streamed on Youtube and Facebook, and can be referenced for education purposes. More info at icld.se/localdemocracytalks

Moderator: Kelly McBride, FutureGov, UK.

5 Innovations:

• Warsaw, Poland, Citizens’ Assembly.  Katarzyna (Kasia) Pawlowska, Shipyard Foundation: https://stocznia.org.pl/en/
• Montreal, Canada, Participatory Budgeting. Anne Gauthier, Ecologie Urbaine, https://www.makingmtl.ca/participatorybudget
• Helsingborg,  Sweden, Quality of Live Program.
• Semarang, Indonesia, Participatory Budgeting. (TbC) doc792.pdf (oidp.net)

This event is organised in collaboration with the following organisations:

People Powered

• People Powered is a global hub for participatory democracy – the direct participation of community members in making the policy decisions that affect their lives.

International Observatory on Participatory Democracy (IOPD)

• IOPD is a space open to all cities in the world and all associations, organizations and research centers interested in learning about, exchanging impressions and applying experiences of participatory democracy on a local scale with the aim of deepening the roots of democracy in municipal government.

Shipyard Foundation

• Shipyard Foundation create and support effective solutions to social challenges, involving citizens in deciding on public matters and helping organizations and local governments plan and implement social activities.

The Field of Dialogue Foundation

• The Field of Dialogue Foundation aims to support the participation of citizens in public life and to create tools to facilitate dialogue.