Why we need a new climate assembly

Climate Assembly UK, which enters its third weekend this Friday, is breaking new ground in British democracy. Participants from all walks of life are discussing how the UK will reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Citizens’ assemblies can be transformative. They have been used to great effect in countries such as Ireland, where they paved the way for historic referendums on same-sex marriage and abortion. But while we support the idea of Climate Assembly UK, at its heart is an inconvenient truth: 2050 is too late.

The government’s target takes a casual approach to the emergency. But the enemy is at the gates. From flooding in Britain to record-breaking fires in the Amazon and Australia, the dramatic shift in the planet’s climate is already taking its toll.

At global level, the 2050 target will mean 1.5C of warming – with a distinct possibility of passing that threshold. Every increment in temperatures brings untold destruction. A world beyond 1.5C is a world of annual heatwaves in Europe, and one in which small island nations will have disappeared. It’s quite a gamble to take on our futures.

Even if the world’s governments accept that bet, countries like the UK have a duty to act more quickly. Britain ranks fifth highest globally in terms of its historical emissions. We also have the capacity to turn our economy around more rapidly. What’s more, the current target only accounts for emissions generated on our own soil, sweeping under the carpet all emissions from trade.

Climate Assembly UK is deliberating on a red herring. Participants should be deciding not just how, but how quickly, we need to act. Given half a chance, we know the assembly could help us win this fight. Fights, however, can’t be won when you have one hand tied behind your back. We need a new citizens’ assembly that starts from the facts.

Dr David Booth School of life sciences, University of Dundee, Dr Gail Bradbrook Extinction Rebellion, Kevin Brennan MP Labour, Stella Creasy MP Labour, Dr Charlie Gardner Lecturer in conservation science, University of Kent, Prof Dave Goulson Professor of biology, University of Sussex, Dr Huw Griffiths Polar marine biologist, Ben Lake MP Plaid Cymru, Chris Law MP SNP, Clive Lewis MP Labour, Sarah Lunnon Extinction Rebellion, Bill McGuire Professor emeritus of geophysical and climate hazards, UCL, Anna McMorrin MP Labour, George Monbiot, Dr Lesley Morrison Retired GP, Chris Newman GP, Alex Penson Senior computational biologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Jamie Peters Director of campaigning impact, Friends of the Earth, Charles Secrett Independent adviser on Green New Deal, Tommy Sheppard MP SNP, Alex Sobel MP Labour; Chair of net zero all-party parliamentary group

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