Book Launch - We Need to Talk about Climate: How Citizens’ Assemblies Can Help Us Solve the Climate Crisis

We celebrated the launch of the open access book We Need to Talk about Climate: How Citizens’ Assemblies Can Help Us Solve the Climate Crisis by Graham Smith, Chair of KNOCA. The book is free to download or hard copies can be ordered via the University of Westminster Press website.

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The book explores the variety of climate assemblies that have taken place so far at local, national and international levels and explains why they have captured the imagination of governments and activists alike. It examines the different contexts and designs of climate assemblies and assesses their impact. Drawing lessons from current practice, the book demonstrates how assemblies can take us beyond the shortcomings of electoral and partisan politics and how they can have a real and lasting impact on climate policy and politics.

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At the launch event on 26th of September 2024 we were joined by David Van Reybrouck, founder of the G1000 movement and author of the influential manifesto 'Against Elections', who reflected on the book and the future of climate assemblies and Kathryn Machin, head of community engagement campaigns at WWF-UK. Erica Hope from the European Climate Foundation chaired the event, and Author Graham Smith presented the book. Watch or rewatch the event here:

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Phrases from the event:

“If climate assemblies are about the wisdom of the crowds. This book is about the wisdom of the wisdom of the crowds.” - David Van Reybrouck

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“The thing that I feel that citizens’ assemblies give us outside the realm of climate is actually a shift in the narrative that we're currently facing into, which is polarizing citizens across the world. So, we're seeing more and more polarization of narrative. And the biggest example I have seen of that counter narrative is what happens through the process of a citizens’ assembly.” - Kathryn Machin

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“We don't have many anti polarization machines, and we should celebrate any that we have. And I think it's a value that we can really push, and we don't push enough.” - Graham Smith

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Praise for the book:

“Full of penetrating analysis and inspiring examples, this book shows that there is another – and better – way of doing politics”.
- Dr Roman Krznaric, author of 'The Good Ancestor: How to Think Long Term in a Short-Term World'

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“An authoritative and practical guide to one of the most promising democratic innovations for redressing the power imbalances in climate policymaking”.
- Laurence Tubiana, CEO, European Climate Foundation

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“Citizen assemblies on the climate may save our lives. This careful, up to the moment analysis tells us what is going on. If you have, or want to have, anything to do with citizen assemblies, buy this book, read it, and keep it close at hand. It’s essential".
- Professor Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University

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