Ireland Citizens’ Assembly

In 2016, the Programme for a Partnership Government committed to the creation of a Citizens’ Assembly in Ireland, which was subsequently established in 2017. The Assembly consisted of 99 randomly selected members, broadly representative of Irish society, plus a chairperson. Membership excluded politicians and representatives from advocacy groups. The Assembly was asked to consider several key issues facing the country, including “how the state can make Ireland a leader in tackling climate change”. The Assembly reviewed this topic over two weekend meetings in September and November 2017, and invited submissions from the public, NGOs, representative groups and citizens’ organisations. Based on the Assembly’s discussions, informed by presentations by expert speakers and submissions from the public, the Assembly issued a set of 13 recommendations to the Oireachtas (Irish parliament) to address climate change. The recommendations ranged from the role climate change should play on the national agenda to carbon taxation, community ownership and self-consumption of renewables, modal shifts from private internal combustion cars, and changes in land use and agricultural practices. 

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