As the 26th COP comes to an end, many are reminded of the criticisms directed towards the politicking structure of the event. So far, previous COPs have yet to make an impact, with the 25th COP deemed a failure as countries couldn’t reach consensus on topics regarding offsetting carbon and financial aid for developing nations. Even the Queen expressed frustration towards COP, “when they talk but they don’t do”, while discussing climate action plans. More concerning is the fact that the commitments made this year still lead to a 16 rise in emissions and will not meet the 1.5-degree target.

Politician’s agency to act is limited by practicalities and procedures of everyday politics. Our leaders need whole-system support from communities, businesses and governments themselves to turn climate talks into action.

Here are four viable community-led alternatives to COP that prioritise climate action whilst working alongside governments.

1. Citizen Climate Assemblies

Citizen Climate Assemblies are the crown-jewel of community-led action. Assemblies grant citizens’ a voice and unique sense of place and power in the climate crises. Well-informed, representative citizens often make fair decision-makers as individuals are not lobbied or facing political pressures. Placing a sense of shared responsibility on a local, national or global community helps address controversial issues which are otherwise costly from an electoral and economic perspective. Looking ahead to COP26, the first Global Citizens’ Assembly will bring together one hundred people representative of the world’s population to discuss the climate crisis. Their findings will be presented at the COP26 summit. The assembly is supported by the UN and UK and run by a coalition of more than 100 organisations.

How do Citizen Climate Assemblies Work?

An assembly of citizens, demographically representative of the area or country, learn and deliberate on climate change topics to inform decision-making. Members of climate assemblies in countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Ireland, Poland, Germany and the United States, at local and national levels, have investigated what can be done to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on sectors such as transportation, agriculture, energy and buildings. For example, the UK Climate Assembly selected 108 members through a ‘sortition’ process to represent the UK population, including engineers, health workers, parents and grandparents. Assembly members hear balanced information from experts whilst professional facilitators aid discussion. The UK Climate Assembly member’s collective recommendations

leave no stone unturned, covering topics from consumer diets to air travel. The comprehensive report includes over fifty recommendations for policy measures designed to reach the net zero target by 2050.

Governmental Green Tape?

Some assemblies have faced criticism for lacking implementation and effectiveness. France’s president, Emmanuel Macron’s Climate Assembly was ridiculed when over half the proposals were later dropped in the French climate law. The overall result was said to dilute citizens’ proposals in key sectors such as transport, car use and building renovation, all crucial sectors when meeting Paris Climate Accord commitments.

Proof’s in the Pudding

Yet, there are numerous success stories from near and far afield that suggest Citizen Climate Assemblies are viable alternatives. Assemblies are only successful when they foster openness and follow-through with the recommendations set. Ireland’s Climate Assembly produced recommendations incorporated into government climate bills, from increasing Ireland’s carbon tax to incentivising electric vehicles. Further afield in the land of US oil, Texas used a series of ‘deliberative polls’ to investigate energy policy. The resultant shift in policy led to investment in renewable energy that transformed Texas from ranking second-to-last in US wind generation to first. Poland’s Climate Assemblies have been successful in implementation, as proposals that gain more than 80% support amongst the assembly are upheld as a binding decision for the city of Gdansk. A notable triumph was in 2017 when Gdansk faced extreme rainfall but avoided massive climate-induced flood damage due to assembly recommendations of creating artificial lakes to capture excess rainfall.

2. Mass Social Media Action

Social media can be wielded as a powerful force to bring online and in-person communities together. A study by Keio University found visible links between social media and changing public perceptions, with the possibility of public opinion influencing political decision making when addressing climate change. Sharing, liking and posting climate news and solutions, whether in your local town or further afield, catalyses conversation about climate change and encourages action.

Catalysing Conversation

Social media has revolutionised previously narrow streams of communication into vast open waters. We all have campaigns, petitions, conversations, online events and much more at our fingertips as recipients and authors of information. By getting involved on social media, you can ask questions and spread information through the digital grapevine. Whether it’s by sharing accurate climate information to fight climate denial or promoting practical zero waste hacks, positive messages and realistic changes are often more inspiring and effective than doom and gloom facts. For motivating ways to use social media as a vehicle for climate action, read here.

Grassing on the Greenwashers

Social media provides the platform for online communities to publicly demand increased transparency on climate action and call out companies for greenwashing. A prime example includes fast fashion brand H&M’s clothes recycling bins, which led consumers to believe clothes dropped off into their recycling bins would be transformed into new garments. However, it’s been estimated that less than one per cent of the clothes collected will be recycled. Writer, consultant and stylist, Aja Barber, posted about H&M’s false claims, reaching 200,000 + social media users and generating two hundred comments. By sparking conversation amongst consumers, companies are held more accountable and pressured to invest in genuine change.

Encourages Action

Platforms like Instagram and Twitter mobilise communities to share important updates and organise climate protests. Instagram and Twitter provide the channels to bring people together digitally before attending protests in person. The Global Climate Strike unites 14,000,000 people across 7,500 cities to protest for climate action. The Fridays for Future movement began with Greta Thunberg posting her protest on Instagram and Twitter which sparked a youth-led movement of the world’s largest climate protests. Vanessa Nakate, 23 from Kampala, Uganda started her own solo strike outside Ugandan parliament in January 2019. Her strikes have evolved into Fridays For Future Uganda, Save the Congo Rainforest Strikes, and the Africa-based Rise Up Movement. During lockdown, she connected with other activists via social media and published daily videos and podcasts. Social media mobilises the masses to help climate action groups crop up in communities all over the world.

Some benefits of setting up a group social media profile include:

Growing followers who may support or join your group in the future
Spreading awareness about events, petitions and wins
A platform to lobby local decision makers

Check out social media for ways to get involved in climate events or find a Climate Action group in your local area.

3. Shifting Power in Governments

Climate change demands system-level changes and collective action. Government policy, laws, rules and regulations are an important means of system change. Unfortunately, many climate change policies flounder on the lack of political will to enact carbon reduction policies. However public will, expressed through citizen activism and involvement, can heavily influence the policymaker process. Strong public demand increases the likelihood that governments will prioritize climate change action. Indicators of public will can include public support for mitigation policies, contacting government officials, and pro-climate consumer behaviour. For example, more than two thirds of the British public want to see the UK as a world leader on climate change, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by Global Witness, with this view consistent across all sectors of the population.

Green Growth

Support for green parties and strong climate policies are growing in many countries as climate change becomes a top issue among voters. Scottish politics has responded to this public will with the recent coalition between the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Greens. This marks the first time the Greens have entered government in Scotland and the UK. In Germany, the Greens and Free Democratic parties are mid-coalition talks with the Social Democrats, following elections hailed as ‘Germany’s climate election’. The pressure rose after activists took the government to court over slow climate action that jeopardised young people’s freedoms. Germany sped up its climate action and promised to be carbon neutral by 2045, democracy at its finest!

This shifting power towards national policies that prioritise climate action is promising, but community-led governance is equally key to ensure climate action. A study by Ford, Berrang-Ford and Paterson (2011) showed that climate change adaptation was most frequently implemented municipally. For example, this was seen in the UK where dozens of towns and cities declared a ‘climate emergency’, leading to MPs approving a motion to declare a national environmental and climate emergency. Climate change emergency actions plans (CCAPs) drafted by local authorities are increasingly driving behaviour across all local authority functions, including planning, transport and recreation. By acting on a more local scale via community planning, there is more leverage for change as grassroot schemes give more power to the people. Local schemes such as the Goodwin development in Hull renovated 60 derelict houses into eco homes, showcasing how often the best climate actions are those which equally enrich communities.

4. Business Relationships with Governments

A whole system approach requires citizens, governments and businesses to transition to net zero. Governments as well as consumers are setting new expectations for businesses to play their role in decarbonisation. The rising expectations of citizens has pressured governments to ensure businesses do better, as 23 percent of global consumers want brands to lead by example. The World Economic Forum has named this opportunity, “The Great Reset” and the advent of a triple bottom line: planet, people and profit.

Investing & Incentivising Climate Action

The triple bottom line gets off the ground with the right government investment for businesses. The Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) Climate Hub works in partnership with governments to support smaller businesses in the race to net-zero emissions before 2050. The UK business climate hub provides the tools for change including cycle to work schemes, waste minimisation and installing smart meters. On a larger scale, the European Union and member countries including Spain, France and Germany have reserved six billion euros for the development of emission-free vehicles and batteries. The initiative promotes policies and business models that place climate action at their core. Organisations are also urgently addressing climate change when selecting work spaces post pandemic. The new Magenta Business Park in Glasgow values green spaces as workers commute through a ‘green corridor’ to the city centre. Employees can live near active travel routes, draw energy from district heating schemes and work in a sustainable workspace. The carbon footprint is being minimised by using building materials with high levels of recycled content and sourcing materials locally. Be it as a consumer or employee, businesses are striving to meet both citizen and government expectations for a more environmentally prosperous way of life.

Conscious Consumers

In the lead up to COP26, businesses were ramping up their own response to the crisis, but terms such as “net zero” and “sustainable” can often become plastic and malleable in nature. In some cases, the path to net zero details more marketing strategies than genuine action. A key example includes Volkswagen claiming vehicles are “eco-friendly” while simultaneously cheating emissions tests. In response to the public outrage towards the proliferation of greenwashing, companies that falsely market their products or services are facing scrutiny by the UK Advertising Standard Authority (ASA) to ensure consumers are not misled. The ASA will work alongside the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on a current enquiry into green energy tariff reform. The findings will be reported, and long-term concerns revealed. In the meantime, new UK laws have been proposed to help shoppers avoid buying food grown on illegally logged rainforest land. Whilst consuming less is the main goal, you can vet brands’ sustainability and carbon footprints with apps like Giki Badges or Good on You. Despite many companies’ best efforts to capitalise on consumer’s consciences, it’s arguably a step in the right direction if it encourages us all to become more climate literate and aware of greenwashing strategies.

As the world watches nations negotiate and compromise on climate action in the arena of global politics, focusing on the power of community can propel systematic change. The community in question could be a nationwide Citizen Assembly, an online action group, a neighbourhood development plan, or an audience of consumers and employees. All of these community-led alternatives aim to meet the triple bottom line, operating across the whole system and acting today.

Emma Tegg

Emma is a recent BSc Environmental Science graduate from the University of Exeter with a passion in environmental journalism. She believes both practical and creative responses to climate change are crucial to engage the public and encourage change. Emma works part-time as assistant podcast producer for environmental tech Green + Kode, whilst writing pieces on Cornish climate change solutions. Her environmental interests focus on local, community-scale actions to actively combat the climate crisis and strengthen community spirit.

Changemaking Alternatives to COP Summits