Embedding deliberation

The Climate Change Committee (CCC) is the statutory advisor to the UK and devolved governments on greenhouse gas emission targets. We are working with the CCC to explore options for embedding deliberative public engagement into how they develop policy ideas. We are also assisting the CCC in developing their advice to government on improving public involvement in climate policy.

There is a wealth of examples of citizen engagement models from across policy areas including health care, social care, science and innovation policy, and food security. In our first phase of work with the CCC, we reviewed the use of deliberative methods in different policy areas to develop a guidance document tailored to climate policymaking. This report identified seven ways in which deliberative methods can contribute to the policy process and identifies ways to embed deliberation into climate policy making in the UK.  You can read the report here.

Following the initial report we designed and delivered a deliberative citizens’ panel on home energy decarbonisation in partnership with the CCC. This representative panel of UK home owners worked with CCC analysts to designed a package of policy measures to reduce emissions from homes in line with the need to tackle climate change. The CCC 1re now using the findings to help inform its advice on policy to address home emissions. You can read the report here.

Photo credit: Shared Futures