UK Parliament announced in a press release today that Professor Jason Chilvers of 3S has been appointed to serve on the Academic Panel advising Climate Assembly UK.

Climate Assembly UK is the UK’s first nationwide citizens’ assembly on climate change. It was commissioned by six cross-party House of Commons Select Committees in summer 2019 in response to the Government’s commitment to meet net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Climate Assembly UK will meet for the first time at the end of January and will have three further weekend meetings before the end of March. The 110 assembly members will consider how net zero can be achieved by 2050 and make recommendations on what the Government, businesses, the public and wider UK society should do to reduce carbon emissions.

Professor Chilvers said: “I am delighted to be advising the UK’s first nationwide citizens’ assembly on climate change. Attempts to hit net zero carbon emissions will radically alter the world we live in. So it is crucial that diverse citizen voices and perspectives have a say in shaping our own collective futures.” 

Jason is a leading expert on new forms of participation and democracy on environmental issues and is Director of the Observatory for Societal Engagement with Energy and zero-carbon transitions as part of the UK Energy Research Centre. He added: “If we care about a just transition then it is so important that this and the many other climate engagements occurring around the UK are actually listened to and accounted for by those in positions of power”.

The 13 members of the Academic Panel will help to ensure the balance and accuracy of the assembly through reviewing written briefings for participants and informing assembly design. The Academic Panel is one of three expert groups advising the organisations contracted to run Climate Assembly UK by the House of Commons – Involve, Sortition Foundation, and mySociety. 

Details of the full press release are available here: https://www.climateassembly.uk/news/advisory-and-academic-panels-working-climate-assembly-uk-announced/ 

For further information about the Climate Assembly UK see: https://www.climateassembly.uk