In 2007 the U.S. Supreme Court (Massachusetts v. EPA, 549 U.S. at 528-29) found that "greenhouse gases fit well within the Clean Air Act's .. definition of air pollutant", which the Clean Air Act defines as "any air pollution agent which ... enters the ambient air [and] which may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public health or welfare."

National Geographic explains that, “Current levels of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide in our atmosphere are higher than at any point over the past 800,000 years, and their ability to trap heat is changing our climate in multiple ways.” Black carbon and ozone are also major drivers which harm health and agriculture.

Is climate change real?

As documented by NASA, there is broad scientific consensus on this subject.

What does it mean to say that this Assembly will focus on climate mitigation rather than adaptation?

There are essentially two ways to address climate change: reducing and stabilizing the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (‘mitigation’,) or adapting to the climate change already in the pipeline (‘adaptation’). Here is a link to NASA’s description of the different types of action. Both types of action are necessary to avoid the worst effects of a warming planet but this Assembly will focus on mitigation.

Why now? What’s the rush?

The longer we wait to slow the progress of climate change or climate pollution, the greater the harm, making it more difficult to deal with and avoid the worst consequences. International experts convened by the United Nations agree that we must take decisive action by 2030 to avert widespread suffering, chaos and disruption!

How is an Assembly different from an opinion survey or advisory vote?

There are two primary differences. Firstly, Assembly members, and viewers throughout Washington, will have the opportunity to hear and learn from many speakers about climate pollution, its impact on various communities, and proposed solutions. Secondly, by being “in the same room,” people will talk with and get to know their fellow residents from around the State. Hearing different perspectives will allow them to come to understand each other’s concerns and needs, so the resulting recommendations will truly be representative of a collective voice.

Can a group of random people really accomplish anything worthwhile?

There is a good article that digs into this question. In it, one expert explains, “It’s actually the fact that it’s random [selection] that means you break the link with vested interests. If you choose people that aren’t the usual suspects, who aren’t typically politically engaged, what we find is that people are aware of their own lack of information and take their role very seriously. They’re really willing and open to change their minds and change their opinions.”

Another expert tells about the spirit of cooperation engendered in one Assembly:

“People realized that they can come together, they can meet in some way to pursue policy that could work for themselves and probably for the rest of the country, and so they didn’t feel as polarized and divided as much as conventional polling and media coverage would suggest.”

How are final assembly recommendations determined?

A key feature that distinguishes a citizens' assembly from other forms of public engagement is the emphasis given to ensuring that participants make trade-offs, and arrive at realistic and internally consistent conclusions and recommendations. Expert advisors and facilitators ensure that the options presented to and developed participants are both meaningful and realistic. After the team-building, learning, and deliberative phases, assembly members are asked to vote on recommendations that have emerged from within their group or from the general public. Recommendations supported by strong super-majorities are then published.

What will happen to the recommendations once they are developed?

Assembly recommendations, representing an authentic voice of the people, are expected to help promote and possibly amend current policy or legislative proposals, or oppose others. Recommendations not related to existing policies may find champions for future legislative sessions. Residents also will have learned what solutions are broadly acceptable to their peers and be able to convey that to their legislators, may lead to successful initiative campaigns, or may be relevant to local governments, businesses or individuals.

What will the experience of an Assembly member be like?

People who have taken part in other Assemblies have reflected on how much they learned and came to understand about each other. Participants in Assemblies in Northern Ireland commented:

“I’ve found the whole experience to be interesting…interesting in regards to the topic which I have begun to understand, but also interesting and worthwhile in bringing together such a diverse group of people and the way we have been able to discuss this issue and respect others’ views.”

“Exciting, informative, enlightening and engaging along with the genuine desire throughout the group to make a positive contribution.”

You can read more of their comments here.

Does the general public get to participate in the Assembly?

Yes! Members of the public are able to hear experts and stakeholders present their knowledge and expertise, and are often invited to submit ideas and testimony for consideration by assembly members.

Climate Assemblies in other countries have been convened by government bodies. Why wasn’t the 2021 Washington Climate Assembly being sponsored by the State government?

The WA Climate Assembly is different in this way from most Citizens' Assemblies. The model is new to the United States and therefore did not have pre-existing support. Organized and funded by citizens, the WA Climate Assembly will be truly independent and party-neutral. People’s Voice on Climate believes that its success demonstrates the value of this tool and encourage people in other places to explore the use of this inclusive process.

If the 2021 WA Climate Assembly was initiated by climate activists, wasn’t it automatically be biased?

People’s Voice on Climate decided to convene and fund a Climate Assembly focused on climate change mitigation, but established a strong structure of independent governance and oversight in order for the process to remain unbiased. A Coordinating team to run the Assembly was hired by a group consisting of representatives from government, academia, and the non-profit community. This Coordinating Team conducted community workshops to determine the specific question(s) the Assembly addressed, the specific means of choosing Assembly members, and the Assembly agenda. The Center for Climate Assemblies developed a draft rulebook for the Assembly which stipulate, among other things, the independence of the Coordinating Team. The rules themselves are subject to review and approval by an independent Monitoring Team consisting of representatives from non-governmental organizations, academics, State and Tribal governments, and two members of People’s Voice on Climate. The Monitoring Team oversaw the Assembly, ensuring that Assembly members were presented with factually accurate, comprehensive, balanced and unbiased information, and were able to deliberate in a comfortable, neutral environment.

How can you ensure that Washingtonians will be broadly represented in the Assembly?

No group of people in the state will be overlooked in the invitation process:

A Member Selection Criteria workshop, with members recruited from the public, will ensure that the selection criteria are fair and inclusive, and that Assembly members will be chosen from the full span of age, gender, education, income, geographic region, race/ethnicity, and views on climate.
A professional statewide marketing firm will manage the invitation process and has guaranteed that no constituency in the state will be overlooked.
If any gaps are perceived after the first round of responses is received, a second round of invitations will be made, prior to the lottery in which the Assembly members are chosen.

What is being done to ensure that all Washingtonians are truly able to participate in this Assembly?

Many aspects of Assembly planning have been approached with inclusion in mind, including:

Offering an honorarium to Assembly participants.
Covering expenses such as childcare, technology, translation, and accessibility.
Scheduling two-to-three-hour Assembly sessions on weekday nights and weekend days, and publishing the dates months in advance, so participants can fit the Assembly into their schedules.
Conducting the Assembly online, which takes care of many travel, accessibility, and logistical issues.
Contractually stipulating that facilitation is done in an inclusive way, making sure that all participants feel comfortable and empowered.

How are Washington’s Tribes being approached for involvement in this process?

Washington’s Tribes, whether federally recognized or not, are independent governments, and their relationship with the state government is a partnership to work on common goals. In that regard, they have an interest in what the state government does and does not do, and that interest certainly pertains to climate change. Each of Washington’s Tribes has a unique perspective that will be most helpful in this Assembly, and every effort has been made to invite broad Tribal participation.

Initial outreach efforts centered around five inter-Tribal organizations that operate in Washington: the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission (NWIFC), Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), Upper Columbia United Tribes (UCUT), Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), and the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Subsequently, a letter was mailed to each Tribal Chair, with an accompanying email copied to an appropriate staff member. One-on-one outreach has continued with the inter-Tribal organizations.

Who gets to give presentations to the Assembly?

Potentially anybody! The Coordinating Team is well connected in the Washington community and will reach out and advertise broadly. Anyone who wishes to advise on the agenda and/or present to the Assembly has the opportunity to apply. The oversight group will ensure that the Assembly Rulebook provides for a fair procedure for determining presenters if there are more wishing to present than there is time available.

Who gets to suggest climate mitigation recommendations to the Assembly?

Any Washington resident! There will be a public portal on the Assembly’s website for members of the public to submit their own ideas about how Washington can best reduce its net greenhouse-gas emissions to levels that will keep us all safer.

What are your funding sources? Are there potential conflicts of interest?

Rather than hunting for money, the concerned Washington volunteers who began pushing for this Assembly prioritized getting the Assembly going quickly to coincide with the 2021 legislative session. To make this happen, we reached into our own savings to guarantee a base level of funding. None of the team members has any current or future business interests, direct or indirect, before the Legislature.

If you have funding for the Assembly, why are you soliciting donations?

More funding will create a greater impact! Your support will provide for more Assembly hours and expand awareness of and participation in the educational component of the Assembly among Washingtonians. It will also fund more follow-up on the Assembly’s recommendations and help support future Climate Assemblies both in Washington and elsewhere in the United States.

Is this a one-shot deal, or will there be further efforts after this Assembly concludes?

We understand that one Climate Assembly in Washington is not going to vanquish the climate crisis, but we hope that this Assembly will help point the way to consensus solutions for our climate, and also better means of problem solving in our democracy. People’s Voice on Climate and allies will work to encourage other Climate Assemblies, both in Washington and elsewhere in the United States. We invite you to join us in this effort to repair the climate and our democracy at the same time!

Are there best-practice principles that govern an Assembly?

There is an established and evolving set of principles governing Assemblie that has been developed by experts from around the globe. These are synthesized in a July 2020 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Is the WA Climate Assembly following Assembly best practices?

The rules and principles governing the WA Climate Assembly were developed according to OECD guidelines specifically for this Assembly by the Center for Climate Assemblies. This internationally-recognized organization has provided critical guidance at every step of the process. The rules can be found here.

How was the Coordinating Team selected?

The Assembly's Initiating Team, People's Voice on Climate, put out an open call for potential bidders via a request for proposals in July 2020. All submitted proposals were considered and ranked by a Hiring Team whose constituency was designed by the Assembly's Pro Bono Design Team, the Center for Climate Assemblies. The Hiring Team consisted of two representatives from the State Legislature, one Academic, and two members of the Initiating Team, with several NGO representatives serving in advisory roles. Cascadia Consulting Group was the successful bidder.

Where can I read more about this?

Looking for more resources? Check out our resource list. Or, email us!

For decades, elected officials have failed to properly address the climate crisis. It is time to let the people speak on how to best protect our common home. Through the Assembly, we can hear their voices loudly, clearly, and before it is too late. The power of the Assembly lies in its diversity, integrity, transparency, and independence. Running an Assembly professionally requires hiring skilled coordinators, facilitators, experts, and technicians. And to ensure that there are no barriers to participation, the Assembly will compensate participants for their time and personal costs. By supporting the use of Climate Assemblies, you expand the way to a safer and healthier future for all!

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