Consult Citizens Online on Climate Change

Last week I attended the conference "Democratizing Climate Governance Conference" at the Australian National University in Canberra. This was timely as apparently the Prime Minister is about to propose a national community consultation process on climate change. My suggestion would be to use the "Public Sphere" Internet assisted consultation process which Senator Lundy developed for this. This would reduce the cost and complexity of organising deliberations and allow for wider input by people via the Internet, to supplement face-to-face deliberations. We have learnt a lot about how to run such blended events since I helped run the first Public Sphere at the ANU in 2009.

My colleagues at the ANU Engineering 'Hubs and Spokes' Project have been working on technology for teaching in a "blended" mode: this combines podcasts and discussions online, with face to face discussions, which can also be enhanced by using technology such as "clickers" (wireless hand held devices to quickly get audience input). This technology could be applied to a citizens consultation process.

ps: The papers for the "Democratizing Climate Governance Conference" have now been released:

• ACUTO, Michele Green politics and social justice through the global city
• BABON, Andrea Power, politics and participation in Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD) in Indonesia
• BACKSTRAND, Karin, The Democratic Legitimacy of Global Climate Governance after Copenhagen
• BAER, Hans The Australian climate movement: a disparate response to climate change and mainstream climate politics in a not so ‘lucky country’
• BUMMEL, Andreas, Duncan Kerr, & Fernando Iglesias, Democratizing Global Climate Policy through a UN Parliamentary Assembly
• CHRISTOFF, Peter Alexander, Climate Science as Political Challenge
• DRYZEK, John & Hayley Stevenson The Deliberative Global Governance of Climate Change
• FISHER, Kath, Marnie Kikken, & Michelle Croker From doubt to empowerment: how deliberative processes can counter the impact of misinformation campaigns about climate change
• GERO, Anna, Kerstie Méheux, & D. Dominey-Howes Climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in the Pacific: The challenge of integration
• GOODMAN, James Disorderly deliberation?: generative dynamics of global climate justice
• GROSS, Catherine Decision-makers seeking global justice in a changing climate must first understand the importance of perceived injustice in decision-making processes
• HAYES, Adrian C. The Governance of National Climate Change Adaptation Strategies: An Indonesian Case Study
• HEALY, Stephen Deliberating Climate Change: A matter of ‘Preferences’ or preferred ‘Forms of Life’?
• HODGKINSON, David, Tess Burton, Lucy Young, and Heather Anderson ‘Turning to Prayer’: A Convention for Climate Change Displaced Persons
• HUAN, Qingzhi China's participation in the global climate governance: Reflections from a perspective of deliberative democracy
• KENT, Jennifer When States won’t act: local-global linkages and climate change governance
• LYNCH, Amanda & Ronald D. Brunner Democracy and Climate Change
• McGEE, Jeffrey, Exclusive Minilateralism: An Emerging Discourse within International Climate Change Governance?
• PHELAN, Liam, Ann Henderson-Sellers, & Ros Taplin Discursive dominance of the Earth system: Climate change and contestation
• PITTOCK, Jamie A pale reflection of political reality: integration of global climate, wetland and biodiversity agreements
• RIEDY, Chris, & Jade Herriman Challenges for global deliberative democracy processes: insights from World Wide Views on global warming in Australia
• ROXBURGH, Timothy An impenetrable core? - The position of environmental concerns in relation to the imperatives of the Chinese state
• SLAUGHTER, Steven Promising the World? The G20, Public Accountability and Global Environmental Governance
• ZHU, Xufeng Deliberative Climate Regime: Super-Ministerial Mechanisms for Energy Security and Emission Reduction in China