Citizen science in climate assemblies: policy recommendation based on citizen generated knowledge

Citizen science can be experienced as a tool for generating policy recommendations, there are plenty of examples in topics such as air quality, mental health or climate change. The emergence of Climate Citizen’s Assemblies as a form of deliberative democracy for climate change action creates a perfect framework for experimenting with citizen science, to explore its potential to bring the voice of citizens in the development of climate policies.

This is the context in which the CLIMAS project takes place, with the ambition to support a transformation to climate resilience by offering a problem-oriented climate adoption Toolbox, co-designed in Living Labs and validated in Climate Citizen’s Assemblies. In this workshop, participants are invited to jointly explore the role of citizen science in Climate Citizen’s Assemblies. We will begin with an introduction to the structure of a Climate Citizen’s Assembly, complemented by examples from CLIMAS. Furthermore, we will provide a comprehensive introduction to how Living Labs can serve as effective facilitators for the co-creation and testing process. Following the same participatory approach used in the co-creation sessions conducted within CLIMAS Living Labs, we will hold a session to discuss the potential of integrating citizen science into Climate Citizen’s Assemblies.

Finally, we will have a high-level debate on this topic with an invited speaker to wrap up the session. This session will combine learnings and practical insights into how citizen science can be effectively used in Living Labs and Climate Citizen’s Assemblies. It aims to generate fresh perspectives from citizen science practitioners regarding the integration of citizen science into Climate Citizen’s Assemblies to foster the creation of actionable climate recommendations.

The agenda for the workshop is organised as follows: we will provide the CLIMAS framework, followed by an introduction to Climate Citizen’s Assemblies and Living Labs and the methodology for testing citizen science in both Climate Citizen’s Assemblies and Living Labs. Collaboratively, we will discuss synergies among citizen science, Climate Citizen’s Assemblies, and Living Labs. Finally, we will have a high-level discussion with an invited speaker, concluding with a wrap-up and key takeaways. The outcomes of the workshop are expected to be incorporated into the toolkit developed in the CLIMAS project and, subsequently, into future Climate Citizen’s Assemblies.