Climate Assemblies
Working alongside Shared Future, and researchers from Keele and Warwick Universities, we integrate advocacy into the assembly process from the outset, helping participants shape politically actionable recommendations, understand who can implement them, and build the confidence to engage decision-makers long after the assembly had finished.
Turning deliberation into political action
Funded by Esmee Fairbairn, 2025 marked the first full year of our second flagship project. We’re aiming to solve one of the biggest weaknesses in deliberative democracy: turning recommendations into action.
The Challenge
Climate assemblies produce thoughtful, evidence-based recommendations, but too often those recommendations fail to translate into action. Participants are rarely equipped to engage decision-makers, and assemblies aren't always designed with the politicians responsible for implementing their recommendations in mind.
Our Role
Working alongside Shared Future, and researchers from Keele and Warwick Universities, we integrate advocacy into the assembly process from the outset, helping participants shape politically actionable recommendations, understand who can implement them, and build the confidence to engage decision-makers long after the assembly had finished.
The Outcomes
So far, participants have secured meetings with MPs, gained commitments to champion assembly recommendations, and helped strengthen support for expanding the role of citizens' assemblies in local decision-making. The learning from this project has also led to the UK's first advocacy toolkit specifically designed for climate assembly participants, creating a model that can be replicated by future assemblies across the country.
