There is an old Irish proverb that translates as ‘under the shelter of each other, we survive’. It’s a beautiful reminder, in these times of conflict, of our interconnectedness and the need to transform our mindsets from ‘me’ to ‘we’ as we plan for our collective survival on planet earth.
The climate crisis demands transformation of our politics too. If we want policies that truly tackle the emergency we find ourselves in, we need to tap into the wisdom, insight, and lived experience of communities on the frontlines. Northern Ireland has a unique opportunity to lead the way by making participation a foundation of its climate response.
The people of Northern Ireland care deeply about climate change. This care is often amplified at the local level when places come under threat of destruction and extractivism, but we also see it in bottom–up organising around local solutions. Yet decision–making on environmental issues here remains centralised, opaque, and top–down. Unlike other parts of the UK and Ireland, where public participation in climate policy has gained momentum, Northern Ireland’s approach continues to limit engagement to broad consultations and stakeholder groups.
DAERA, as the department responsible for climate change, will soon publish Northern Ireland’s first Climate Action Plan. This five–year plan, including policies and proposals from all government departments, will outline necessary actions to respond to the climate emergency. These changes will affect lives and livelihoods much more directly than the kinds of changes made so far, requiring trade–offs that touch on deeply held values. The Climate Change Committee (the UK government’s official adviser on climate change) Sixth Carbon budget shows these changes will impact on how we heat/power our homes, how we travel, what we eat, and some jobs. If developed without public involvement, these policies risk sparking division and resistance, wasting valuable time defending decisions that the public feels disconnected from, and missing the opportunity to tap into place–based knowledge to find solutions. A top–down approach will fail. Instead, DAERA has a chance to build a strong public mandate for climate action by embracing participatory methods that invite people into the decision–making process.
The Benefits of Citizen Collaboration on Climate
Across the UK and Ireland, participatory and deliberative climate engagement has picked up considerable momentum, with Climate Assemblies, juries and panels convened at local and national levels. These are forums of ordinary citizens given evidence, time, space, and support to work through the challenges and make recommendations for what our policy makers can do to most effectively deliver on their obligations.
There are distinct advantages to using participatory methods for climate policy:
- Inclusive Agenda Setting: Participatory processes involve people early, shaping policy before a draft is written, rather than after, when opportunities for real change are limited.
- Connecting Values and Vision: Engaging citizens connects climate action to shared values and visions for the future, helping to turn climate change from a fear–driven issue into a positive, hopeful project.
- Reaching Diverse Voices: These approaches ensure that traditionally disengaged or sceptical groups, who are often missed in standard consultations, are heard and included.
- Highlighting New Development Opportunities: Public deliberation uncovers opportunities for local prosperity and sustainable growth that are often overlooked in top–down models.
- Building Consensus: Participation balances trade–offs across diverse interests, reducing polarisation by finding common ground.
- Increasing Legitimacy: Policies shaped through public collaboration are more likely to be accepted because they reflect the lived experiences of those who will be affected.
Why Participation is Essential for Climate Action in Northern Ireland
To effectively address the climate crisis in Northern Ireland, we need an approach that brings people directly into the policy–making process. Without inclusive, community–driven participation, decisions risk being disconnected from local needs, realities, and solutions.
The importance of engaging ordinary people in climate action is internationally recognised by the UN ACE Framework, to which the UK government is a signatory. Scotland has, since 2009, had a legislative requirement to publish a climate engagement strategy; they published a new version in 2021 following Scotland’s Climate Assembly. The Climate Change Committee has called for ‘a national conversation on the options available for achieving net zero’. So, with mounting evidence that it is a crucial factor in ensuring fair and effective climate action, why is Northern Ireland such a laggard on participation?
The NI Executive’s approach to involving the public is poor across all policy areas, and there is no strategic commitment to addressing that. The result is democratic deficit, a lack of trust in government and declining confidence in democracy. Carnegie research shows that in NI, 74% of people feel they have no influence over the Executive or lower level decision making. NI Life and Times research in 2022 showed that only 17% of people trust the NI Executive, and 41% trust the civil service.
Top–down policy–making doesn’t work for policy–makers either, who often struggle to get the evidence they need through public consultations to make informed decisions, or they need to make trade–offs between evidence, public opinion, and political will. When I speak with senior policy makers in government, many of them see the need for improved participation but are unsure where to start and lack clarity on the barriers.
The truth is that there are a mix of barriers, some of which are structural and some of which are cultural. In an interview, CEO of the CCC Chris Stark provided insight into the range of factors that made him reluctant to support Climate Assembly UK, from a bias towards numerical data and technical evidence in climate policy, fear about political sensitivities, to the need for more humility by policy makers. Ultimately, all climate assemblies in the UK have proceeded because political will (in this case, from the select committees) has been there to hear from the public in a meaningful way. He describes his subsequent experience with the Climate Assembly as ‘game–changing’ for his understanding of how to make climate policy.
What is clear is that in Northern Ireland, there are barriers to participatory policy making across government, and addressing the gap in participatory processes should be regarded as a shared duty of all departments. However, on climate specifically, there is such an urgent need and a growing body of international evidence that participatory approaches to climate action improves outcomes, that there are practical steps DAERA can take now to embed this approach.
Steps DAERA Can Take to Transform Climate Governance
There are many ways that governments can engage the public on climate. In NI, to make up for lost time, we need to go big and bold, and commit resources, including talent, time and money, to progress this as a priority of climate governance.
- Establish a Hub for Participatory Climate Action
Currently, no government body provides coordinated support for participatory climate policy practices. As part of its Climate Action Plan, DAERA should establish a hub for Participatory Climate Action, which would develop resources, tools, and training to support departments in effectively engaging citizens. This hub could coordinate efforts across departments, building the confidence of civil servants and creating a consistent approach to public involvement in climate decisions. The Cabinet Office has set up a group to coordinate and raise capacity for participation across all important issues (the Cross–Government Participatory Methods Forum), which Involve has played a key role in setting up and supporting. We now sit on the steering committee along with other government representatives and third sector organisations. Further guidance on how to set up an effective hub for participation can be found in the Citizens White Paper. - Embed Participation as a Core Policy Principle Through a Climate Engagement Strategy Standard decision–making practices follow a “decide–announce–defend” approach, leading to public disillusionment and resistance. DAERA should develop a climate engagement strategy that mandates embedding “Participation Principles” in all government policy on climate–related issues. These principles should emphasise transparency, inclusivity, and partnership with the public, making participation a central policy pillar.
- Institutionalise Climate Assemblies as a Regular Policy Tool Current public consultations are short, lacking depth and sustained engagement with the public on complex climate issues. This leaves decision–makers unsure about what the public think of how policy decisions will be socialised. Establishing regular citizens’ assemblies, as provided for in New Decade New Approach, on priority climate topics like agriculture, energy, and transport, allowing structured public input on these issues, with a predictable schedule of assemblies would give government departments a reliable way to understand public priorities and incorporate them into policy.
- Create a Cross–Departmental Climate Engagement Task Force Climate policy requires collaboration across departments, but engagement efforts are currently fragmented and inconsistent. A task force that brings together representatives from multiple departments as part of the Action Planning cycle could standardise climate engagement efforts, establishing shared goals, consistent standards, and pool resources for joint engagement where appropriate. This team would coordinate cross–cutting climate initiatives, maximising the impact of public participation.
- Develop Transparent Feedback Loops When public input is received, it’s often unclear how it influences final policy, leading to a breakdown in trust. DAERA should introduce feedback mechanisms, such as ‘you said, we did‘ to ensure transparency and accountability. Departments should publish summaries of public contributions and explain how specific suggestions are integrated or why they were not feasible, making it clear how public input impacts policy.
Conclusion
Participatory climate action gives ordinary people a role in shaping policies that affect their communities, making decisions more ambitious, inclusive, and reflective of shared values. When citizens are included, their contributions often drive policies towards long–term, collective solutions rather than short–term or politically expedient decisions. Northern Ireland has a unique opportunity to lead by embedding participation at the heart of its climate response.
Climate action rooted in participation is not just about listening to citizens but empowering them to actively shape the future, fostering a democracy that protects people and prioritises collective well–being over private interests.
Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine/ Under the shelter of each other, we survive.
Rebekah McCabe is a specialist in public participation and deliberative democracy. She is Head of Northern Ireland for Involve, where she works with an array of partners and collaborators to develop a more participatory society across the UK and Ireland.
