Deliberation for Climate Action
COMDEL
COMDEL is a comprehensive research project investigating how deliberative democracy can address climate change. The project explores how communicative deliberation can bridge gaps between climate scientists, citizens, media, and policymakers to build resilience against disinformation and enhance informed decision-making. By delivering new theoretical and empirical insights, COMDEL aims to foster cohesive and collective climate action while countering misinformation and vested interests.
The Problem
Policymakers and politicians are often more responsive to elite opinion than to public opinion, the former usually influenced by lobbying and contact with ideologically conservative groups. The resulting disconnect means that, despite the availability of technological and policy solutions for transitioning to a carbon-free society, many affluent countries fail to implement effective political action. While Citizens’ Assemblies - which bring together scientists, citizens, and policymakers - are increasingly used to address the climate issue, research indicates that they have little impact on policymaking. Additionally, there is a risk of these democratic innovations being instrumentalised for strategic purposes, potentially leading to de-democratisation and distrust rather than democratic progress.
The COMDEL Solution
COMDEL seeks to identify how deliberative initiatives can be consequential and influence policy outcomes effectively. The project focuses on communication within the “deliberative system,” particularly the relationships between Citizens’ Assemblies, the media and political systems. By addressing the communication challenges unique to climate change, COMDEL aims to examine this disconnect and bridge the gap between citizens’ needs and policy outcomes.
The research examines whether democratic innovations like Citizens’ Assemblies can influence policymakers and media elites while countering the impact of groups that hinder climate action. This is especially critical in the context of climate change mitigation, where insufficient action by policymakers threatens to derail global efforts to contain warming, despite international accords and commitments.
Methodology
To achieve its objectives, COMDEL employs a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative method which include:
- Theory building and conceptual mapping
- Experimentation
- Text mining and content analysis
Research on dissemination of denial and rebuttal narratives across platforms, mainstream media and parliamentary speech.
The project also investigates how deliberative systems can inoculate both citizens and elites against climate change misinformation, fostering resilience and enabling meaningful climate action.
