Citizens for Climate

forthcoming

While we witness a global democratic backlash and decreasing trust in political institutions, citizen participation in democratic processes outside of elections remains limited. At the same time, climate change is one of the most pressing and yet most polarising challenges European society faces. Under the growing pressure, a multitude of innovative participatory instruments has developed at the intersection of climate and democracy. Citizens for Climate contributes to a more democratic and sustainable Europe, drawing lessons from the democracy innovations in the climate sector. The project compares and shares best practices in inclusive climate democracy—from citizens' initiatives to climate assemblies—and supports their use beyond the participating countries. In 17 events, Citizens for Citizens a) raises awareness on these democratic best practices in climate policy-making, b) connects 730 citizens, marginalised individuals, CSOs, and policymakers across Europe to foster inclusive governance, and c) trains multipliers via participatory formats so inclusive practices can be replicated beyond the climate field. The 17 activities take place in 7 EU member states: Germany, Denmark, Czech Republic, Hungary, France, Poland, and Belgium. Additional participants join from Spain, Slovakia, and the Netherlands. A transnational Kick-Off and Spring School lay the foundation. Afterwards, 210 citizens, CSOs and public actors explore local climate democracy in 7 local or transnational Participation Pop-Ups. A transnational Review Event merges their insights. 460 citizens, policymakers and CSOs discuss the final project output, the Climate Participation Booklet, in the online Climate Participation Conference and 7 local Dissemination Events. All activities are low-threshold, interactive, and use inclusive formats to activate citizens, especially from marginalised communities. Via a far-reaching dissemination campaign, Citizens for Climate engages 500,000 individuals online.