TY - CHAP

T1 - Deliberation and democratic innovations in the climate crisis

AU - Yuille, Andy

AU - Willis, Rebecca

PY - 2025/6/27

Y1 - 2025/6/27

N2 - No democratic nation has yet implemented a plan for emissions reduction that is compatible with the 2015 Paris Agreement. Some commentators have argued that we therefore need a greater focus on expert-driven and technocratic solutions. Others have suggested that, on the contrary, strengthening democratic institutions to enable greater citizen engagement is central to successfully tackling the crisis. Recent years have seen a proliferation of democratic innovations such as Citizens’ Assemblies – small groups that are representative of a broader public, convened to have reasoned, inclusive, and reflective discussions that can inform policy decisions. In this chapter, we review the theory and practice of such democratic innovations in relation to the climate crisis. First, we introduce the need for deliberative democratic innovations in the face of the climate crisis. We then sketch out the theoretical underpinnings of deliberative democracy that implicitly or explicitly underlie these approaches. Next, we review the rise of deliberative mini-publics in relation to the climate crisis, with international and local examples. We then go on to consider their potential and limitations. We conclude by discussing what can be gained by applying theoretical lenses beyond the deliberative ideal to democratic innovations.

AB - No democratic nation has yet implemented a plan for emissions reduction that is compatible with the 2015 Paris Agreement. Some commentators have argued that we therefore need a greater focus on expert-driven and technocratic solutions. Others have suggested that, on the contrary, strengthening democratic institutions to enable greater citizen engagement is central to successfully tackling the crisis. Recent years have seen a proliferation of democratic innovations such as Citizens’ Assemblies – small groups that are representative of a broader public, convened to have reasoned, inclusive, and reflective discussions that can inform policy decisions. In this chapter, we review the theory and practice of such democratic innovations in relation to the climate crisis. First, we introduce the need for deliberative democratic innovations in the face of the climate crisis. We then sketch out the theoretical underpinnings of deliberative democracy that implicitly or explicitly underlie these approaches. Next, we review the rise of deliberative mini-publics in relation to the climate crisis, with international and local examples. We then go on to consider their potential and limitations. We conclude by discussing what can be gained by applying theoretical lenses beyond the deliberative ideal to democratic innovations.

KW - climate assemblies; deliberative democracy; deliberative mini-publics; democratic innovations; public participation; theories of participation

U2 - 10.4324/9781003044253-5

DO - 10.4324/9781003044253-5

M3 - Chapter

SP - 35

EP - 49

BT - Routledge Handbook on Climate Crisis Communication

A2 - Anderson, Alison

A2 - Howarth, Candice

PB - Routledge

CY - London

ER -