Hannah Arendt Center Event: Film and Panel Discussion - The French Climate Assembly & Les 150: Two years later

In 2018, the increase in France's carbon tax by President Macron's government sparked the "Yellow-Vest" movement, leading to months of political turmoil. As a response, the government initiated a "Grand National Debate," which encompassed 18 regional citizens' assemblies and an additional National Assembly on Climate Change. These assemblies, involving randomly selected citizens, were tasked with addressing the complex challenges facing French society. The French Climate Assembly, which lasted nine months, highlighted the concept of lottery-based democracy on a global stage.

Prior to April 7th, there was an opportunity to watch the documentary "Les 150" on YouTube for free with English subtitles. This documentary focused on the citizens' engagement following the French Climate Assembly.

Then, on April 7th, a panel discussion was held to delve into the French process and its repercussions. The panel aimed to explore learnings from the French experience and other assemblies that followed. The event featured prominent figures such as Helene Landemore, author of "Open Democracy"; Agny Kpata, President of Les 150; Eva Rovers from KNOCA; Dimitri Courant, a Visiting Fellow at Harvard; Marjan Ehsassi, a Researcher at Johns Hopkins; Baptiste Rouget-Luchaire, Director of Les 150, among others. The discussion provided insightful perspectives on the impact and future of citizens' assemblies in addressing climate and societal issues.

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