Devon Climate Emergency Assembly
Published: 10 May 2021
The assembly is part of the process to create the Devon Carbon Plan, which sets out how Devon can reach net-zero emissions. Many people in Devon have contributed to producing the Interim Devon Carbon Plan with actions to tackle climate change. But the Plan identified some challenging areas which require further discussion. To discuss these areas DCE are holding a citizens’ assembly, the Devon Climate Assembly. A demographically representative sample of Devon’s citizens from different social backgrounds, including young people over the age of 16 will form the Devon Climate Assembly.
To carry out the assembly DCE have enlisted the expertise of Involve, a public participation charity experienced in running citizens’ assemblies. Assembly members will be recruited by a civic lottery process, organised and carried out by the Sortition Foundation.
The assembly will take place over 3 weekends and two weekday evenings in June and July and will go through a three-step process of learning, deliberation and decision-making. The overarching question is ‘How should Devon meet the big challenges of climate change?’ Within this, the assembly will focus on transport, energy and land use, which prior public consultation has said need further discussion. It will consider how we can create a Devon where people and nature thrive, including benefits such as warmer, more efficient homes, healthier and more active lifestyles, changing workplaces and emerging industries and ways to enhance wildlife in our urban and rural areas. The DCE partnership, which includes all Devon's Local Authorities, will respond to each of the recommendations of the assembly to complete the Devon Carbon Plan.
To bring together an assembly broadly representative of the demographics of Devon, Plymouth and Torbay, 14,000 letters inviting people to register their interest in taking part will be sent to households randomly selected from the Royal Mail address database. Any person aged 16 or over living in a household that receives an invitation will be able to reply by telephone or online to register their interest in participating in the assembly. Respondents will complete a form asking a number of questions that will help the selection process and ensure that the whole assembly will be demographically representative of Devon.
Assembly members will be selected from the pool of respondents based on several different criterium: age, gender, ethnicity, levels of deprivation including income, education and health, geography, rurality, disability and attitude towards climate change. To ensure all members of the community are represented, the random selection process will weight certain demographics. Assembly members will receive £400 as a thank you for their time, plus associated childcare costs. Invitations will go out to 14,000 households on the 11th of May. The deadline for registering interest is the 24th of May.
The Assembly sessions are as follows:
Wednesday 23 June, 7-9pm
Saturday 26 June, 10am-12.30pm and 2-4pm
Sunday 27 June, 10am-12.30pm
Wednesday 7 July, 7-9pm
Saturday 10 July, 10am-2.30pm and 2-4pm
Sunday 11 July, 10am-12.30pm
Saturday 24 July, 10am-12.30pm and 2-4pm
Sunday 25 July, 10am-12.30pm
You can find out more information and keep up to date with the Devon Climate Assembly process at www.devonclimateemergency.org/citizens-assembly/