Climate Assembly Tsukuba (CAT) 2023 Design and Operations Working Group: MATSUHASHI Keisuke, National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) MURAKAMI Chisato, Institute for Dialogue of Environmental Policy (IDEP) TOKUDA Taro, Universitas Tsukuba
Tsukuba City, Area: 283.72 km²
*Total of 30 meetings as of February 2024
VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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Overview of Climate Assembly Tsukuba (CAT) ②
Overarching goals for all 6 sessions ◆ Outputs To clarify the initiatives and measures needed for the city and its residents (communities and businesses) to realize a ‘Zero-Carbon Easy-Living Tsukuba City’ by 2050, and to compile these in a proposal document.
◆ Outcomes
To foster a sense of belief on the following, prior to the proposal: “With this, we can definitely achieve both zero-carbon and easy-living.” “With this, we can expect the acceptance and understanding of citizens not here today.” “We really want to achieve the ideas in this proposal document.”
VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
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Overview of Climate Assembly Tsukuba (CAT) ③
Goals for sessions
◆ 1st session To form a vision of ‘Zero-Carbon Easy-Living Tsukuba City’ in 2050 ♦ 2nd to 4th sessions To obtain material for proposals (components and their levels of preference) on three topics: 1) mobility & community building, 2) housing & buildings, and 3) consumption & livelihoods ◆ 5th session To obtain draft proposals on all topics (content and their rates of support) ◆ 6th session To finalize all proposals (wording, rates of support, and strength of support) and to complete the proposal document
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Aiming to ensure inclusivity, diversity, and efficacy... ① Meeting design based on comprehensive case studies and trial implementation ② Commitment to participants on faithfully addressing outputs ③ Realization of mini-publics with high acceptance rates ④ Implementation of broad public consultation ⑤ Provision of fruitful learning opportunities leveraging “local advantages” 6 Realization of due deliberation based on careful facilitation ⑦ Adoption of voting methods that manifest "common ground"
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Meeting design based on comprehensive case studies and trial implementation ◆ Case studies • Universitas Tsukuba’s “Research Group on Global Climate Assemblies” Analysis of the context, organization, operation and efficacy of 17 international cases (Jan. 2022 to Jun. 2023) QR①② • NIES & IDEP's “Table on Basic Design of Climate Assemblies” Classification of the basic design of 6 cases (2 domestic, 2 international) (April 2023)QR③
◆Trial implementation
• Tsukuba Shimin Network’s “Climate Future Conference in Tsukuba” (Cooperation: Universitas Tsukuba, IDEP) Citizen-led trial of randomly selected assembly (July 2022)QRQ
VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Commitment to participants on faithfully addressing outputs ◆ Remit (Question posed to participants) “What initiatives and measures are needed for the city and its residents (communities and businesses) to realize a ‘Zero-Carbon Easy-Living Tsukuba City’ by 2050?” ◆ Impact & Commitment (Promising participants “impact of outcomes”) Contents of proposal document to be utilized as material for review of the “Third Tsukuba City Basic Environment Plan" (planned for FY2024) and revision of the “Tsukuba City Global Warming Action Plan-Regional Measures" (planned for FY2025). Each proposal will be addressed without exception (reasons will be provided for proposals not adopted).
VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
VOICE and VOTE
Realization of mini-publics with high acceptance rates ◆Acceptance of 10 times (X) the number of participants is required when organizing mini-publics (newDemocracy) →5,000 invitations, 1,146 responses, 569 accepted, 50 selected (11.38X). * Criteria: age, sex, region, attitude toward climate change  *Tool: Panelot Factors:
VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Implementation of broad public consultation In accordance with a view of citizen assemblies focused on the role of self-selected representatives in addition to randomly-selected representatives. (Offer two methods of participation in assembly: participation in meetings and submission of opinions) Call for ideas on the vision for a ‘Zero-Carbon Easy-Living Tsukuba City’ and for its realization. ◆ 1st Call for ideas (1 June to 25 July) 57 submissions. Utilized mainly for deciding on topics. ◆ Call for ideas –summer holidays– (15 July to 18 Aug.) Targeting students from grade school to university level. 13 submissions. Utilized mainly as materials for 1st session. ◆ 2nd Call for ideas (5 to 21 Sept.) 24 submissions. Utilized mainly as materials for 2 nd to 4 th sessions. VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 9
Provision of fruitful learning opportunities leveraging “local advantages” ◆ 1st session: Introduction NIES, Tsukuba City ◆  2nd session: Topic 1 (mobility & community building) NIES, University of Tsukuba ◆ 3rd session: Topic 2 (housing & buildings) Shibaura Institute of Technology, AIST, National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management (NILIM) ◆ 4th session: Topic 3 (consumption & livelihoods) NIES
VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Realization of due deliberation based on careful facilitation ◆Ensuring inclusivity:  preventing unequal speaking opportunities (The voices of all participants are reciprocally heard) ◆Ensuring diversity: preventing imbalance of opinions (Avoid group conformity, polarization, and superficiality while maintaining fairness) → Form a 12-person highly-experienced facilitator team for 50 people/9 groups → 21 bi-weekly meetings held between Jan. and Oct. 2023 Conduct reading group for: Kimbra White, Nicole Hunter, and Keith Greaves (2022) Facilitating Deliberation: A Practical Guide , MosaicLab.
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Adoption of voting methods that manifest "common ground" ◆ 2nd to 4th sessions: Identify all ideas that get over 8 votes in sticker voting ◆ 5th session: 3-option voting (yes/abstain/no) following examination of above ideas Include in proposal document “Yes” votes above 80% ... ”Yes” + “abstain” votes above 80% …  Include in proposal document subject to improvement ◆ 6th session: 7-option voting following examination of above proposal ideas
74 Proposals (74 of 87 ideas were adopted and 13 were unadopted in voting on the final day) ◆The city and operators install systems that make bus routes, delays, and location information easier to understand to make buses more accessible (e.g. transportation apps and displays at bus stops) (98%/2.65 points) ◆Businesses meet high standards under BELS (Building-Housing Energy-efficiency Labeling System) when constructing new buildings (98%/2.12 points) ◆Businesses, including the city, choose and purchase products with small carbon footprints to promote the Proposal widespread adoption of zero-carbon products and services (98%/2.37 points) document ◆The national government mandates product labelling on carbon footprints to support citizens in their choices (98%/2.30 points) ◆The city establishes stores to sell non-standard produce at lower prices and creates systems for use in school lunches to reduce food and agricultural waste (98%/2.42 points) VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 13
All respondents chose 3 or higher in a 5-point rating survey.  (n=38) ◆Did the proposals reflect your thoughts, ideas and opinions? 11 25 2 0 0 ◆Did the proposals reflect the thoughts, ideas and opinions of all participants? 19 18 0 0 ◆Did the proposals balance “zero-carbon” and “easy-living” aspects? 16 19 m 0 0 ◆Will the proposals gain the acceptance and understanding of citizens not here today? 11 19 8 0 0 ◆Do you want the content of the proposals to be achieved or would you like to achieve it? 0 28 0 9 I strongly agree./I agree. I strongly disagree/I disagree.
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VOICE and VOTE Commitment of the mayor and determination of department in charge ◆ Mayor Tatsuo Igarashi: Promised to “create a roadmap to respond to all 74 proposals” when accepting the proposal document. ◆ Environmental Policy Department: Will work to revise the “Global Warming Action Plan-Regional Measures” one year ahead of schedule (FY2025 →FY2024). VOICE and VOTE (2024) / CC BY-NC-ND 4.0