A frequent flyer tax, the phased-out of environmentally harmful SUVs, and restrictions on cars in city centers are among the solutions to the climate crisis proposed by the British Climate Citizens’ Assembly “NetZero UK.” The climate policy recommendations of the randomly selected mini-public were presented on September 10, 2020.
The Citizens’ Assembly’s task was to make proposals on the measures needed for the UK to become climate-neutral by 2050. The assembly consisted of 108 people from all walks of life who spent a total of around 600 hours discussing the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over six sessions lasting several days each.
Leveraging the COVID-19 Crisis
79 percent of Citizens’ Assembly members agreed with the statement that measures to support the economy during and after the COVID-19 crisis must be designed in such a way that they contribute to achieving the goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
The key recommendations:
- a frequent flyer tax for people who fly the farthest and most frequently
- increased government investment in low-carbon buses and trains.
- rapid transition to electric vehicles
- ban on the sale of highly polluting vehicles such as SUVs
- subsidies for the purchase of low-carbon cars
- A reduction in the number of cars by 2–5 percent per decade.
- Making wind and solar energy a key factor in ensuring that the UK achieves climate neutrality
- Increased procurement of local products and support for local food production
- A dietary shift - driven by education - to reduce meat and dairy consumption by 20 to 40 percent
“Fair Measures”
All measures to reduce emissions must be applied fairly, the Citizens’ Assembly members write in their report. “Fair to people with jobs in different sectors. Fair to people with different incomes, travel preferences, and living situations. Fair to people living in different parts of the UK.”
A central theme of the report is education. “The media must play a role—and so must schools. “Perhaps we need to look at the curriculum,” explained Citizens’ Assembly member Ibrahim, a general practitioner from Surrey. “You can’t go to someone and say, ‘You have to switch to a hydrogen boiler because it’s low-carbon,’ if they have no idea what that means. You’re more likely to be accepted by people if they understand the issues,” Ibrahim continued.
Education and advertising
"The government can't legislate against eating meat," said assembly participant Amanda, "but with education, advertising and labelling I believe we can change their attitudes to eating meat - just as we did with smoking."
The chairs of the six House of Commons parliamentary committees that commissioned the Citizens' Assembly climate report have written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson urging him to ensure that the government follows up on the UK Climate Group's recommendations by "showing leadership at the highest levels of government" ahead of the UK hosting the COP26 UN climate summit in November 2021.
A mirror of the people
"The range of voices on these pages reflects our population. The fact that Citizens' Assembly members were able to make clear recommendations while respecting each other's values and experiences is an example to us all," said Darren Jones MP, Chair of the House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee.
Parliament considered the recommendations of the Climate Assembly on 25 November 2020. In a statement, MPs welcomed the Citizens' Assembly report and called on the government to address it. The UK government published its response to the Citizens' Assembly on 2 September 2021. In it, it presented its previous and planned climate protection measures, but did not address the individual recommendations for action of the Climate Assembly. This was criticised by the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, among others.