“How can consultative spaces be created with an ongoing conversation, which is not just a one-off meeting between populations and municipalities? How can the local population be really seen as a co-creator of adaptation measures and climate justice?”

With these questions, Sophia Masrouri from the Brussels Office of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) framed her opening remarks as moderator at the informal roundtable discussion titled “Collective Climate Action: How is participation fostered?” hosted by the BIC.

The event explored the links between collective climate action and social cohesion in communities across Europe, an increasingly relevant topic in light of evolving efforts to address climate change. Notably, in April 2022, the European Union (EU) selected 100 cities to achieve climate neutrality by 2030, paving the way for all cities in the region to follow by 2050. In this EU Cities Mission initiative, the role of local communities in implementing effective climate action is crucial and merits reflection. 

Participants in the roundtable discussion delved into various themes in relation to this topic. As a first instance, the need to deeply think through the concept of community was underscored. Beyond merely living side-by-side, fostering a sense of belonging among residents in a neighborhood seems to be crucial for tapping into collective will and for overcoming polarization. Gerlad Aiken, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research, reflected on the role of action in bringing people together and as an expression of collective will. He shared that, “there is a Scottish community activist that I like a lot. He says that ‘The only thing that builds community is a common demanding task.’ You need these three things. ‘Common,’ you have to hold it in common. It has to demand something of you, it can't just be an optional thing that doesn't require anything of you. And it's a task, it is something you work on.”

Connected to this is the requirement of a culture of ongoing conversation among residents and with institutions, which goes beyond single events, but embraces change and action as a continuous process. “If you want to facilitate or create the space of conversation, it is not a condition that you can apply to some company, it needs to be a culture of participation and a culture of conversations,” said Bob D’Haeseleer from the network of Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI). Such a culture allows for the development of collective thought, vision, and action. Nonetheless, a precondition for its establishment is identifying the appropriate principles to animate such a culture. Marten Boekelo from Duneworks added that “there are ways that you can take time to create a space for conversation that opens up more than just the standard positions that people have, and allows people’s views to evolve over the course of the consultation.”

Talia Melic, a PhD researcher at the University of Paris-Est, remarked “how challenging it can be when consultations begin at a point when solutions have been proposed.” This suggests that the spirit of co-creation must be present from the outset, as she added that “how do we take a step back and involve community members?” A view of one another as endowed with capacity to contribute to a community’s progress is essential to create agency and inclusivity, she added. 

Lastly, participants suggested that the broader element of transition needs to be reflected on. Often, a transition is organized around capital and with geopolitical and economic considerations held as priorities. In this context, thinking about how to become an intermediary among perceived conflicting needs becomes indispensable. Adriana O’Phelan from Democratic Society said: “I also want to invite you to pay attention to intermediaries, because there are civil servants, or civil representatives, citizens, corporate business, and also many different opposing views that are now seen as them vs. me. So where is the place for intermediating those relationships?”

That social cohesion contributes to climate action is one side of a dynamic relationship. As Hannah Abdullah from the German Marshall Fund shared, “climate and environmental issues are a topic that generate less divisiveness within communities compared to more economic issues… climate action has the potential for creating more connections within communities.”