The Balearic Islands will hold Spain’s first regional Climate Assembly. The formal announcement was made on Tuesday 14th of December by the Autonomous Community’s government, just a couple of days after the first official meeting of the Asamblea Ciudadana para el Clima run by the Spanish government, and whose recommendations are expected in spring 2022.
The Balearic Assembly should conclude its work by mid-2022, a year ahead of regional elections. Participants will be drawn by lot and asked to « consider actions needed by 2030 to face the climate emergency in an efficient and fair way ». The supporters of the project have developed design options for the assembly to adapt it to the peculiar context of the 4 islands. For instance, it is likely that the Assembly will be organised along two successive phases to allow for discussions for each island, followed by combined discussions for all the islands at the regional level. While this Asamblea Ciudadana para el Clima is not actually the first insular Climate Assembly, (see Jersey’s Citizens’ Assembly on climate change for instance), this will be the first one held in an archipelago.
The project has been developed and proposed to local authorities and stakeholders by a team of researchers from the University of Balearic Islands, with support and contacts with both the European Climate Foundation and the KNOCA, and regular liaison with the coordinators of the national assembly. The « Assessment and Feasibility Study for the Design of a Citizens’ Climate Assembly in the Balearic Islands » has been published in English here and KNOCA will closely follow its development.
