DCU Research Quoted in All of Government Climate Action Plan

On Monday 17th June 2019, Taoiseach Leo Varadker and the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment Richard Bruton launched the landmark All of Government Climate Action Plan 2019.

The Plan singles out significant research by DCU academics that aims to contribute to a new model for citizen engagement on climate change.

The Citizens’ Climate Research Project, funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, is being conducted at Dublin City University by Prof Pat Brereton (School of Communications), Dr Diarmuid Torney, Dr. Laura Devaney and Martha Coleman (School of Law and Government).

The project seeks to identify lessons from the climate change deliberations of Ireland's Citizens' Assembly for policymaking and citizen engagement on climate change, as well as producing new knowledge on Ireland’s climate change governance.

Between 2016 and 2018, the Citizens’ Assembly brought together 99 Irish citizens to deliberate on important issues facing Ireland’s future. Citizens considered five topics, including how to make Ireland a leader in tackling climate change. The Citizens’ Assembly on climate change resulted in thirteen recommendations that were subsequently considered by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Climate Action.

The Committee’s recommendations fed into the above mentioned All of Government Climate Action Plan 2019.

This process of deliberative democracy employs a bottom up approach allowing citizens to take a more inclusive part in everyday political issues, with the Climate Action Plan 2019 remarking that the process ‘…shows how Irish citizens can be engaged in policy and decision-making processes, which enhances the legitimacy and acceptance of climate policy decisions’.

DCU’s Citizen’s Climate Research Project is analyzing the public submissions on climate change submitted prior to the Assembly’s deliberations. Understanding and assessing how the public perceive and discuss the climate crisis is of vital importance in shaping Ireland’s response to this crucial global challenge.

The Citizens’ Assembly’s deliberations are a significant source of data on environmental literacy. Drawing lessons from the process and outcomes of Ireland’s Citizens’ Assembly, the project will create a toolkit for deepening public engagement on the topic of climate change.

The use of citizens’ assemblies in climate change policy making is growing internationally. Just this week, the UK House of Commons announced that it plans to hold a citizen’s assembly on climate change this autumn.

DCU’s Citizens’ Climate Research Project is well placed to share lessons from Ireland’s experience with other jurisdictions.