Following hot on the heels of the national Climate Assembly UK that we reported on in the last newsletter, Warwick District Council has this month started the three months of work for our own People's Inquiry. The Inquiry is to take place with a group of thirty local people who will work together over ten sessions to consider how to address the issues of climate change in Warwick District. This is much like a Citizen's Assembly; one of XR's demands of central government is to establish a Citizen's Assembly on Climate and Ecological Justice. The invitation to take part in the WDC Inquiry was sent to 5000 local residents.
The participants were selected from the 500 who responded by a process called sortition that ensures that the group is representative of the local population by age, gender, ethnicity, where they live, and attitude to climate change.
The group, led by independent facilitators, will look at a range of topics including the science behind climate change, home energy, and the impact of transport, and develop recommendations for the District Council. We (Extinction Rebellion Warwick District) form part of the group of organisations planning and overseeing the People's Inquiry to ensure it is a balanced process. After the Inquiry finishes in February, the recommendations will be taken to the District Council, and as part of declaring a climate emergency and their "Net-Zero by 2030" Action Programme, councillors will be asked to accept as many of the recommendations as possible. Look out in this newsletter and on our Facebook group for how to get involved in promoting the recommendations and encouraging the council to take them on in early 2021 after the Inquiry ends.