Encouraging democratic citizen engagement in climate change solutions through digital innovation
Traditional methods of engaging citizens in decision-making processes often suffer from the dominance of a few vocal individuals. Add to this usually very technical jargon, and meaningful participation by many becomes very difficult.
To find alternative and more effective methods of engaging citizens in important decision making, researchers at the University of Leeds teamed up with the Councils of Leeds, Hull and Bradford to pilot a new innovative digital, and more democratic, method of citizen engagement - with some critical learnings.
Revolutionising Citizen Engagement
The Virtual Climate Citizen Discussion pilot was designed to explore how citizen engagement could play a crucial role in developing practical, community-supported solutions to climate change, as part of a bigger project at the University of Leeds exploring the challenges of low-carbon infrastructure and the socio-economic impacts of transitioning to a low-carbon future.
Researchers – with expertise from across sociology, political science, law, transport, environment, and engineering - engaged citizens through an innovative platform called LiquidFeedback. Their aim was to make participation in the climate policy development process more constructive, and accessible, harness local insights, and foster a sense of ownership among citizens.
The common dominance of a few vocal individuals in citizen engagement can overshadow valuable input from the broader community. This pilot sought to address this by providing an equitable platform where thoughtful and practical solutions could gain attention.
By focusing on the quality of ideas rather than the volume of voices, the initiative aimed to democratise the decision-making process, making it more inclusive and effective
The Pilot: Engaging the North
The pilot project took place in Northern England in the autumn of 2021 with the Councils of Leeds, Hull and Bradford, and marked the first use of LiquidFeedback for climate change discussions. Around 100 participants per council were recruited, and throughout the three-month pilot, engaged in thoughtful debates that led to the development of proposals for innovative solutions.
The focus on constructive feedback and expert advice resulted in the proposals being of higher-quality than usual, and addressed local climate challenges in practical and creative ways. Participants contributed their ideas for local low/zero-carbon transitions, suggested improvements to proposals from other participants, and ultimately voted on the best initiatives. Participants engaged in the pilot were given the opportunity to propose solutions, such as installing urban vertical-axis wind turbines, providing e-bikes for rent (with references to European cities where such schemes have been already implemented successfully), and opening “libraries of stuff”. Additionally, the pilot introduced the option for citizens to seek expert advice, further enhancing the quality of the deliberations.
How did the platform achieve this?
The LiquidFeedback platform has a number of components that make it unique and innovative:
Algorithmic Moderation: LiquidFeedback’s algorithms played a crucial role in maintaining the quality of discussions. By structuring communication through proposals, constructive feedback mechanisms to improve proposals, and alternative proposals, the platform prevented direct user interactions that could lead to polarisation. This approach ensured that debates remained focused on the issues at hand and encouraged participants to engage thoughtfully.
Expert Integration: One of the standout features of the pilot was the integration of expert advice. Citizens could request expert input to inform their proposals, ensuring that the ideas developed were grounded in evidence and best practices. This feature not only enhanced the quality of the proposals but also empowered participants to make well-informed decisions when voting on the proposals and improvement suggestions.
How did this work in reality?
Through constructive engagement and practical solutions. The pilot demonstrated that citizens could engage in a structured and constructive manner, avoiding the pitfalls of polarisation and hate speech. The algorithmic moderation and focus on evidence-based proposals ensured that the discussions remained productive and respectful. It provided a vibrant platform for people to discuss, develop, and vote on decarbonisation strategies, promoting a collaborative space for informed and equitable decision-making.
The integration of expert advice significantly enhanced the quality and evidence-base of the proposals. Participants were able to develop well-informed initiatives that reflected a deep understanding of the issues and potential solutions. This approach ensured that the final proposals were both practical and feasible.
And, the pilot inspired new council initiatives (e.g. the successful e-bike renting scheme in Leeds), even though this was not the main aim. These practical results highlighted the potential of the LiquidFeedback platform to drive meaningful change at the local level.
Lessons Learned: Challenges and Opportunities
Ensuring broad participation was one of the key challenges of the pilot. Proactive recruitment by the Councils was limited. For future projects, full buy-in from councils and a commitment to implementing supported proposals could significantly enhance participation. Engaging citizens through workshops and training sessions, potentially offered by organisations like Climate Action Leeds, could also help increase involvement.
High-quality proposals tended to come from participants with higher educational backgrounds, highlighting the need for a balanced approach. Again, offering workshops and training sessions could help level the playing field, ensuring that all participants have the opportunity to contribute effectively. The ongoing utilisation of the platform in some German municipalities serves as a model for continuous investment in citizen training.
More futuristically, exploring the use of AI to generate initial expert advice could further enhance the platform’s capabilities. AI could respond to citizen requests for expertise, aiding participants in forming evidence-based initiatives and reducing the burden on volunteer experts who could step in if AI provided information was deemed insufficient by citizens.
So, what’s next…?
With this pilot University of Leeds researchers have acquired invaluable expertise in engaging citizens in constructive, evidence-based, bottom-up climate policy development. This expertise could be used to go beyond pilot testing and to set up (digital) platforms for citizen and community engagement in energy transition processes and beyond. This could be done at various scales, for instance the University of Leeds could trial engaging its staff and students in the realisation of its climate plan using tools such as Liquid Feedback. Political parties could use these platforms to get more input from their bases. City councils could embrace these platforms on a more permanent or at least more long-term basis. Various political and advisory bodies, such as the Environmental Audit Select Committee could elicit citizen input by utilising these innovative, constructive citizen engagement processes. Researchers from the Fair Energy Futures Network will seek to build on this expertise to engage citizens in developing solutions that work for communities.
Collaborations
The project was a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders:
- University of Leeds: Led by researchers Dr. Nicole Nisbett and Dr Viktoria Spaiser, the university played a pivotal role in operating and analysing the platform.
- City Councils: The councils of Leeds, Hull, and Bradford provided the necessary support for the project.
- Climate Action Leeds: This organisation assisted in organising a workshop and promoting citizen engagement.
The project was funded by University of Leeds Interdisciplinary Pump Priming funding.