07.52 – Friday 21 June 2024
(The following text is taken entirely from the press note sent to the Opinion Agency) –
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The simulation of the Citizens’ Assembly kicked off yesterday in Trento: Extinction Rebellion calls for it to become permanent and deliberative.
The first day of the simulation of the assembly of citizens of Trento “Act now for the climate emergency” took place from 6.00 pm to 10.00 pm. In the central room of MUSE, 50 citizens of Trento drawn by lot through a stratified sample gathered for the first of three days of training and deliberation regarding the decarbonization process of the city of Trento.
In recent years, the Trentino group Extinction Rebellion has organized various pressure actions which pushed the Trento city council on 6 April 2022 to approve a motion for the establishment of the Citizen Assemblies tool to combat the climate emergency. Although a timetable had been put on paper, the city assemblies have not yet been established by the Municipality; however, thanks to the collaboration with MUSE, the project was born to create the simulation of the Citizens’ Assembly which also involves the Municipality and the University of Trento.
After the institutional greetings from councilor Giulia Casonato and professor Louisa Parks, Francesca Cassarà spoke on behalf of Extinction Rebellion Trentino and declared:
“Climate and ecological crisis means social and economic crisis, but also democratic crisis. We are already seeing the effects of this in the decline in voter turnout at every level and in the rise of authoritarian and anti-democratic ideologies that feed on people’s fears. As Extinction Rebellion we ask that we move from a representative system to a truly participatory one, through the instrument of Citizens’ Assemblies. These Assemblies, if they had deliberative power, could allow citizens to develop public policies, suggest them and show the way to elected officials to find shared solutions to address and mitigate the climate and ecological crisis.
However, this one in Trento is just a simulation, and it is not enough for us. However, we are aware that this is an important step. An experiment to be treated with great seriousness in order to effectively evaluate the tool of the assemblies and be able to continue using it in the future.”
The results of the Assembly will be presented to all citizens in the autumn. The project intends to provide the Municipal Administration of Trento with the elements to evaluate the establishment of a permanent Assembly of citizens on the climate in the near future.
As Extinction Rebellion we will continue to rebel for the involvement of people in decisions on the management of their territory, we will continue to fight until this participatory path is consolidated to address and attempt to solve citizens’ problems, we will fight to ensure that the decisions issued by these assemblies are binding in the outline the future of all of us.
You can consult the program and updates of the simulation at the following link:
