Launch of new report and ICEN network on climate engagement
The Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University in Canada has published the report Can Public Participation Accelerate the Transition to Net-Zero?: Innovations and Challenges for Advancing the Field of Climate Engagement. The report aims to inspire...
Citizens’ assembly: what we’ve learned about the kind of climate action the public wants to see | Blog by Graham Smith
Ordinary British people proposes bolder climate measures than anything politicians have so far dared to suggest. In this blog, FDSD chair Prof Graham Smith shares some reflections. (This blog first appeared on The Conversation website.) . . . The climate crisis is a...
Shaping the campaign for a UK Future Generations Act
FDSD was delighted to host a workshop at the University of Westminster to develop the campaign for the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act being led by Lord Bird. The event attracted representatives from around 30 organisations, including UK Student Climate Network,...
Citizens’ assemblies: how to bring the wisdom of the public to bear on the climate emergency | Blog by Graham Smith
Citizens’ assemblies could be vital in kick-starting the tough steps needed to respond to the climate emergency, Chair of the FDSD board of trustees, Graham Smith, argues. But the detail of how they will work is critical. (This blog first appeared on The Conversation...
Extinction Rebellion and democratic renewal—Blog by Graham Smith
2018 witnessed the emergence of a dynamic, new climate change movement—Extinction Rebellion (XR). Building chapters around the UK, Europe and across the world, XR’s most visible action was its day of mass civil disobedience in November, with 6,000 activists shutting...
FDSD calls for a Committee for Future Generations in the House of Lords
For the first time in 25 years, the House of Lords Liaison Committee is reviewing the structure and function of committees in the second chamber. FDSD is making the most of the opportunity to propose a new Committee for Future Generations to bring long-term...
Partnership and participation: Welsh plans reflect FDSD priorities
Sophie Howe, the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales, has published her Strategic Plan to cover the period 2017-2023. We are delighted to find that we are on the same wavelength: the plan explicitly highlights the importance of effective partnerships and...
Audit Committee report on Government’s lack of ambition on SDGs
The House of Commons Audit Committee recently published its report Sustainable Development Goals in the UK. The Committee is critical of the Government’s lack of ambition in embedding the SDGs. As the report argues: The Sustainable Development Goals represent a...
Local authorities should involve local community groups much more in climate resilience
The Urban Heat project has released its final report highlighting the distinctive and largely untapped potential of the local voluntary and community group sector (VCS) in the developm ent of local climate resilience and emergency response. On the basis of three local...
Environmental Audit Committee critical of Treasury’s short-termism
Early in November, the House of Common’s Environmental Audit Committee produced a damning report on the Treasury’s influence on sustainability policy in the UK. The Audit Committee was able to marshal considerable evidence that “the Treasury has ridden roughshod over...
For the Next Generations | Paula Tiihonen
Part of the Artwork Tulevaisuus (Future), Väinö Aaltonen (1932) To mark her retirement as the Counsel for the Committee for the Future in the Finish Parliament, Paula Tiihonen brought together a group of significant thinkers and doers for an international seminar on...
The courts, the government and air pollution
This week we have seen the UK government lose twice in the courts – once on air pollution and then on Article 50 to formally start the Brexit process. While there are voices questioning why in a democracy the courts should be able to overturn government...
The unedifying Brexit debate: learning lessons from across the pond | Blog by Graham Smith
Whether you were for or against Brexit, most would agree that the referendum campaign was far from instructive. It brought out the worst in British politics: primarily two sets of over-privileged, middle-aged white males throwing opinions, thinly disguised as...
The EU Referendum, Democracy and Sustainable Development | Blog by Graham Smith
Graham Smith is Professor of Politics at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, University of Westminster and a specialist in democratic innovation and citizen engagement, with a particular interest in climate politics and the representation of future generations. He...
Floods, community resilience and the “civic middle”: learning lessons from Leeds
The floods that hit wide areas of the UK at the end of last year were devastating for many communities. In many places local crisis management was found wanting. But in Leeds, the spontaneously self-organised volunteering infrastructures were exemplary in their...
Runciman on democratic politics and climate change
How to sustain democratic politics in the face of climate change? This is the central challenge raised by David Runciman, Professor of Politics at the University of Cambridge in this review essay of recent books on climate politics originally published by the London...Sign up for newsletter
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