Citizens' assembly on consumption and climate
On 16 and 17 November 2024, the participants of the first Norwegian Citizens' Assembly met for their first face-to-face meeting. At this meeting, the members of the mini-public got to know each other in person and learned more about the topic of sustainable consumption. An online meeting had already taken place on 30 October. The aim of this meeting was to develop a common understanding of the assembly's mission and future work.
Government seeks advice
The government would like to receive recommendations and advice from citizens on how people can consume less in order to better protect the climate. On 5 September 2024, 40,000 Norwegian residents were therefore invited by text message to the Citizens' Assembly.
The mobile phone numbers contacted were compiled at random. The invited citizens received a link and a code with their text message, which they could use to apply to take part in the draw via the Citizens' Assembly website by 17 September. Of those who expressed an interest, 66 people were selected. The Citizens' Assembly is a mini-Norway in terms of age, gender, education, place of residence and attitude to consumption.
Young people overrepresented
All residents of Norway aged 18 and over are eligible to participate. The 18-24 age group is more strongly represented in the Citizens' Assembly than in the general population. Instead of six, twelve residents from the youngest age group take part. The reason for this is that this age group has to live with the decisions on climate policy for the longest time. A larger group of young people in the mini-public should also give them more self-confidence and increase their participation in discussions.
‘Norway has a high level of consumption - much higher than nature can sustain,‘ says the assembly website. ‘We buy new clothes and shoes, furniture, household and leisure appliances and electronics to a greater extent than our neighbouring countries and most other countries in Europe.’
How to reduce consumption and live a good life?
Consumption is determined both by politics and by the decisions that each individual makes in their daily lives. The question for the mini-public participants to answer is: How can we work together to reduce our overconsumption of goods while living a good life?
The government wants to know what needs to be done to consume less textiles, shoes, electronics, furniture and appliances for home and leisure by 2030. The aim is to reduce ‘overconsumption’ in a way that is inclusive and fair.
"People know best where the shoe pinches"
‘The people in the country know best where the shoe pinches. I hope that many people will want to get involved and I look forward to receiving good advice and recommendations from the Citizens‘ Assembly,’ says Karianne Tung, Minister for Digitalisation and Public Administration.
The Citizens' Assembly website also explains its benefits: “By inviting people to a Citizens” Assembly, we want to stimulate new voices to discuss difficult societal challenges. Traditionally, public discourse in Norway has often been characterised by special interests. We don't have such a strong tradition of inviting citizens' voices to contribute to the development of concrete policies.’
The mini-public opens up this possibility. One of the strengths of the Citizens' Assembly is that it looks at an issue from the citizen's perspective and can therefore put forward proposals and solutions that are not so easy for politicians to recognise.
Discussion with experts
Citizens' Assembly participants are given the opportunity to listen to experts, discuss with them and find out more about the topic. They can discuss with other citizens and deliberate on conflicting objectives.
The Citizens' Assembly's recommendations will be incorporated into the forthcoming White Paper on the Sustainable Development Goals.
‘Showing the world the way"
SoCentral and We Do Democracy have been commissioned to set up a Citizens' Assembly Secretariat that works independently of the government. The random selection of assembly participants was organised by Analyse & Tal
‘We have been working for a long time to strengthen Nordic cooperation to promote deliberative democracy in the Nordic region. In Denmark, we have conducted 20 nationwide, regional and municipal citizens‘ assemblies, (...) and we are pleased that together with SoCentral and Analyse & Tal we can contribute our knowledge to Norway's first citizens’ assembly. Our shared hope is that the Norwegian Citizens‘ Assembly will lead the way for the rest of the Nordic region and the world,’ says Zakia Elvang, co-founder of We Do Democracy.
Expert advisory board
The Citizens' Assembly Secretariat is responsible for the technical and practical implementation of the process. The secretariat is supported by an international advisory board of experts. 2.7 million Norwegian kroner is available for the implementation of the mini-public.
‘The Norwegian government has created the framework for an ambitious Citizens‘ Assembly on Climate Change, which is committed to the OECD principles for the implementation of Citizens’ Assemblies. Norway has (...) established a strong consultative mandate around the parliament, which commits the government to receive and act on citizens' recommendations. It will be exciting to follow this,‘ says Lars Tønder, professor of political science at the University of Copenhagen and member of the expert advisory board for the Norwegian Climate Citizens’ Assembly.
13th national climate assembly
The mini-public will meet in three digital and two face-to-face meetings. The first digital meeting took place on 30 October 2024. The last meeting will be held on 21 January 2025. The proposals resulting from the Citizens' Assembly will be submitted to the Minister for Digitalisation and Public Administration in February 2025.
The Climate Citizens‘ Assembly in Norway is the 13th national mini-public on climate protection. Similar citizens' assemblies have already been held in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and the UK. Another climate assembly is to be held in the Netherlands in the near future.