Citizens Convention for Climate

The Citizens' Convention for Climate (French: Convention citoyenne pour le climat), also called the Citizens' convention for ecological transition, is a French assembly, consisting of 150 randomly selected citizens. This citizens assembly is called to formulate propositions to "reduce the French emissions of greenhouse gas by at least 40 % compared to 1990, in a spirit of social justice".[1]

Origins

On 25 April 2019, President Emmanuel Macron announced the project of creation of the Citizens' convention for climate, as well as the ecological defense council, during the press conference that follows the "grand débat national".[2] With the set up of the High Council for the climate on 27 November 2018, "France endows itself with governance and robust institutions to take the necessaries decisions in the matter of ecological transition, based on shared expertise and in-depth consultations of the citizens"[3]

On 2 July 2019, Patrick Bernasconi addressed a "letter of mission" to the government, in which he demands that the citizens' convention for ecological transition be organised by the Economical, Social and Environmental Council (CESE), which he is the president. This letter describes the organization of the convention, the independence of its governance committee and its mandate: "To reduce the French emissions of greenhouse gas by at least 40 % compared to 1990, in a spirit of social justice".[1]

Activity

The work of the convention lasts six months. Initially planned in July 2019, the workshops start on 4 October 2019, after a call to the members on the 26 August.[4] The members work a weekend on three. They audition climate experts, economists, associations, economic and social actors. They formulate propositions that are submitted, to the Parliament's vote, to referendum, or are directly applied by regulatory measures. A mission letter, addressed to every member, define the convention mandate.

The dates of the sessions and the program of the sessions are set as follows:

  • First session: 4–5 to 6 October – Outreach, training on climate issues and organization of work of the Convention
  • Second session: 25–26 to 27 October – program of work to be defined
  • Third session: 15–16 to 17 November – program of work to be defined
  • Fourth session: 6–7 to 8 December – program of work to be defined
  • Fifth session: 10–11 to 12 January – program of work to be defined
  • Sixth session: 25–26 January – program of work to be defined

Governance

Members

The citizen's convention for climate is constituted by 150 volunteers from a randomly selected pool of electoral and telephone's subscriber's list.[5] The participants represented a good balance of gender, age, education, jobs, residency and location in reference of the wider society.[6]

To assure a good representation of French society, the sortition was carried out according to the methods of selection of representative samples used for professional public surveys. The members randomly selected have the choice to accept or refuse the mission. Volunteers have their expenses paid and receive financial compensation for their working time.[7][8][9]

Several of them have become passionate about taking part in such a democratic experience.[10]

Thematic groups

On Sunday, 6 October 2019, the members of the Convention were divided into five thematic groups reflecting the diversity of social changes that must be undertaken to achieve the objectives of the Convention. These five groups are entitled:

- to eat (food and agriculture)

- have a place to live (housing)

- to work and to produce (employment and industry)

- to move (transport)

- to consume (lifestyles and consumption patterns)

Governance committee

A governance committee is animated by the Economical, Social and Environmental Council (Cese). It associates the ministry of ecological and solidarity transition, as well as qualified personalities. This committee is charged with elaborating on the work program and to ensure its implementation. It can associate citizens members of the convention.[9]

It is composed of two co-presidents :

  • Thierry Pech, general director of Terra Nova, and
  • Laurence Tubiana, general director president of the European Foundation for climate, negotiator of the Paris Agreement on climate.

Julien Blanchet, vice-president of the Economical, Social and Environmental Council (Cese), is also the general rapporteur of the convention.

The committee also brings together 12 qualified personalities:

  • three climate experts,
    • Jean Jouzel, climatologist, member of the French Academy of Sciences and advisor of the CESE;
    • Anne–Marie Ducroux, president of the environmental section of the CESE;
    • Michel Colombier, co-founder and scientific director of the Institute for sustainable development and international relations.
  • three participative democracy experts,
    • Mathilde Imer, co-president of the association Démocratie Ouverte;
    • Loïc Blondiaux, professor of political science and président of the scientific interest group "Participation, decision, participative democracy" directed by the CNRS;
    • Jean-Michel Fourniau, director of the scientific interest group "Participation, decision, participative democracy".
  • four social and economic experts,
    • Jean Grosset, quaestor of the CESE and director of the observatory of social dialogue at the Jean Jaurès Foundation;
    • Dominique Gillier, vice-president of the CESE and prospective mission head for the CFDT;
    • Marie-Claire Martel, president of the Coordination of federations and associations of culture (COFAC) and advisor of the CESE;
    • Catherine Tissot-Colle, communication and sustainable development director of ERAMET and advisor of the CESE;
  • two experts from the ministry[11]
    • Léo Cohen, former political collaborator in the ministry of ecological and solidarity transition (February 2016 – May 2017 then September 2018 – June 2019), particularly in charge of the preparatory work for the launch of the citizens' convention;
    • Ophélie Risler, chief of the department "fights against the greenhouse effect" of the general Direction on energy and climate of the ministry of ecological and solidarity transition.

Guarantor college

A guarantor college ensures the process's compliance with the rules of independence and deontology. The guarantor college is composed of three personalities named by the Cese's president, the Senat's president and the president of the National Assembly.[9]

  • Cyril Dion, co-founder of the Colibris movement and co-director of the documentary "Demain"
  • Anne Frago, director of the Culture and social Questions service of the National Assembly
  • Michèle Khadi, honorary director-general of the services of Senate[12]

Final propositions of the Citizens' Convention on Climate

On the 21 June 2020, the Citizens' Convention on Climate published its final propositions.[13]

Citizens assembly

The citizen's convention for climate is an unprecedented initiative of citizens assembly in France, a tool of participative and deliberative democracy inspired by the citizen's assembly of Ireland[7]

References
  1. "Mission letter of the CESE for the citizens convention for climate" (PDF).
  2. d’Allens, Gaspard (July 10, 2019). "Comment Cyril Dion et Emmanuel Macron ont élaboré l'assemblée citoyenne pour le climat". Reporterre.
  3. "Compte rendu du Conseil des ministres du 15 mai 2019". Gouvernement.fr (in French). Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  4. Cossardeaux, Joël (14 August 2019). "La lente mise en marche de la Convention citoyenne pour le climat". Les Échos. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  5. Adam Sage (14 April 2020). "Macron gets a mauling over green assembly's plan to ban hypermarkets". The Times. Retrieved 16 April 2020. More than 250,000 people were contacted using a random telephone number search and asked if they wanted to join the convention. Most refused. But 150 agreed after being told that they would be paid €86.24 a day and have their expenses reimbursed.
  6. https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/05/sustainable-recovery-french-citizens-assembly
  7. "150 Français tirés au sort, six mois de débat, la taxe carbone sur la table : la Convention citoyenne sur le climat se précise". Le Monde. 19 May 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  8. "François de Rugy et Patrick Bernasconi installent le comité de gouvernance de la Convention citoyenne pour la transition écologique et précisent ses modalités d'organisation". Ministère de la Transition écologique et solidaire (in French). Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  9. "Convention citoyenne sur le climat : François de Rugy détaille son fonctionnement". Actu-Environnement. 3 June 2019.
  10. Chrisafis, Angelique (2020-01-10). "Citizens' assembly ready to help Macron set French climate policies". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  11. "Convention citoyenne pour le climat : le comité de gouvernance est installé". Actu-Environnement. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  12. Pennetier, Marine (25 July 2019). "Cyril Dion garant de la convention citoyenne sur le climat". Boursorama. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  13. "Final propositions of the French Citizens' Convention on Climate". Democracy International e.V. 2020-06-21. Retrieved 2020-06-23.

Further reading
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