Climate Assembly
A Climate Assembly is a form of deliberative democracy where a group of randomly selected citizens come together to learn, deliberate and decide how their community should respond to climate change.
Participants reflect the diversity of the local population and work over several sessions to make informed recommendations. These are often on complex issues like urban flooding, transport planning, energy use or land use.
Select
A diverse group of local residents is randomly chosen to take part.
Learn
Participants hear from experts, local voices and people with lived experience.
Deliberate
Small-group discussions help people explore different views and find common ground.
Decide
The group agrees on clear, informed recommendations for local climate action.
Share
Recommendations are sent to local authorities and made public.
Citizen Engagement
We bring diverse community voices into climate decision-making processes, ensuring inclusive representation and democratic participation.
Climate Action
We focus on practical, community-supported solutions to climate challenges, from renewable energy projects to sustainability initiatives.
Participatory Budgeting
We focus on practical, community-supported solutions to climate challenges, from renewable energy projects to sustainable transportation initiatives.
How We Help Local Authorities
Supporting Climate Democracy
- Design and facilitate citizen assemblies focused on climate action
- Develop inclusive engagement strategies to reach diverse community members
- Create transparent decision-making frameworks for climate initiatives
- Build trust between local authorities and communities through collaborative processes
Implementing Participatory Budgeting
- Design customized participatory budgeting processes for climate funds
- Train local staff to facilitate community budget deliberations
- Develop digital tools for transparent budget allocation and tracking
- Measure and report on the impact of community-directed climate spending
FAQs
What is a Climate Assembly and how is it different from a public consultation?
A Climate Assembly is a deliberative democratic process, not just a one-time consultation. It brings together a representative group of citizens, selected to reflect age, gender, geography, caste, class and climate attitudes. They learn from experts, deliberate together and recommend climate-related actions.
Unlike typical consultations where only a few voices are heard, assemblies create space for deeper dialogue, reflection and consensus.
Who participates in a Climate Assembly and how are they selected?
Participants are selected using a civic lottery system. This means people are chosen randomly but in a way that ensures the group mirrors the diversity of the community or region across caste, religion, gender, age, income levels, education and geography.
This ensures all voices, especially from marginalised or underrepresented groups, are included.
Why should Indian local authorities try this?
Many Indian cities face urgent climate decisions: heatwaves, water stress, flooding, urban development, etc. But policies often fail when people feel excluded or uninformed.
Climate Assemblies can help local authorities:
- Improve policy implementation and support
- Build public trust and legitimacy
- Receive well-informed citizen input
- Strengthen local climate literacy
- Navigate tough trade-offs through collective dialogue
What kind of climate topics can a local assembly focus on?
Assemblies can be tailored to your context. Topics might include:
- Disaster preparedness and resilient housing
- Urban heat action plans
- Water scarcity and water body protection
- Sustainable transport planning
- Renewable energy transitions
- Greening and biodiversity in cities
What is Participatory Budgeting (PB) and how does it connect to the Assembly?
Participatory Budgeting allows residents to directly decide how a part of a local budget is used, for example, voting on climate-friendly local projects.
It often follows an Assembly by:
- Turning recommendations into tangible actions
- Funding local ideas like shaded bus stops, rainwater harvesting units, or tree-planting
- Giving citizens more ownership of climate solutions
PB can also be run independently in schools, colleges, or local wards.
What happens after an Assembly finishes?
After the sessions, participants produce a report with collective recommendations, which is shared publicly. Local authorities are encouraged to respond, outlining how they will take forward the ideas or why some may not be feasible.
We also support follow-ups like:
- Media and storytelling campaigns
- Public showcases or exhibitions
- Pilot implementations
- PB processes for funding ideas
What makes this approach relevant for India?
India is home to vibrant local democracies, from gram sabhas to ward committees, but climate action is often top-down and jargon-heavy. Climate Assemblies make decision-making:
- More inclusive and human
- Less political, more practical
- Emotionally engaging as well as scientifically grounded
Who runs the Climate Assembly? Can we get help setting it up?
Yes. Climate Undone works with municipalities, colleges, NGOs and civic bodies to:
- Support follow-through with PB or awareness campaigns
- Design and facilitate assemblies
- Train facilitators
- Provide toolkits and documentation
Get in touch if you want to explore this for your city, ward, school or institution.
Need Help With A Climate Assembly?
Discover the science, share the emotions and leave with a solid action plan. All you need is one session.
