How Is Sub-national Governance Responding to Climate Emergencies?: The Citizens' Assemblies for Climate in South Tyrol and Vorarlberg as a Case in Point

Abstract

Considering the difficulties encountered by democracies in meeting the Paris Agreement target of 1,5 degrees, it is more likely that global warming will have a dire impact not only on natural but also on governing systems and democratic frameworks. In light of this, a key question is whether democracies are equipped with adequate tools to navigate the climate crisis and have the necessary instruments to prevent faster and less democratic solutions from being preferred to manage climate emergencies. In this context, various participatory processes known as citizens’ assemblies for climate (CAs) have been established worldwide to address this dual democratic and climate crisis. Against this background, this contribution aims to compare two CAs (the Consiglio dei cittadini per il Clima/ Klimabürgerrat in Bolzano and the Bürgerrat Klima-Zukunft in Vorarlberg) to analyze how they are responding to the climate crisis and can contribute to pursuing ecological integrity. The analysis is conducted through a socio-legal qualitative approach and combines a document-based analysis and semi-structured interviews.

Presenters

Francesca Rosignoli
Senior Researcher, Minority Rights, Eurac Research, Italy

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Technical, Political, and Social Responses

KEYWORDS

Citizens' Assembly for Climate, Climate Governance, Climate Crisis, Participation