Adur and Worthing to hold first climate assembly in West Sussex – this is how it will work

A total of 40 residents have been chosen to take part in the first climate assembly in West Sussex.

They will meet online five times over the next few months to learn about and discuss the climate crisis, before making recommendations about what should happen and how things could change.

The findings could influence how Adur and Worthing Councils’ meet their target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030, and get the wider Adur and Worthing community to the same point by 2050.

Councillor Dan Humphreys, the leader of Worthing Borough Council, said reaching these goals would be a ‘massive piece of work’. “It’s something we really need to take a very good look at,” he said.

Consulting with a representative group of the population was one of the ways to tackle such a ‘big and complex issue’.

It would also reassure residents that the council was listening to them, he said.

“We like to do as much as we can to involve the community outside of elections in all that we are doing, and this is another means that we are exploring of doing that,” he said.

The assembly participants have been randomly selected from a representative sample of the population of Adur and Worthing, and come from all walks of life.

Mr Humphreys said this ensured the group was balanced, adding: “It’s not just people of one political view or persuasion. It’s not just a bunch of people that all have the same views about climate change.”

Between September and December, the assembly will hear evidence from a number of expert speakers.

These will include Sir Jonathon Porritt, the environmental writer and founder of Forum for the Future, which advises government, businesses and civil society on sustainability issues, and Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, who heads up the Carbon Trust, which supports businesses, governments and the public sector to implement changes to address the climate crisis.

They will also hear from local businesses and organisations – including Adur and Worthing Councils, Southern Water and Worthing Homes – about what is being done locally to tackle climate change.

The climate assembly will be overseen by an advisory group which will ensure that participants are presented with factually accurate, comprehensive and balanced information.

The recommendations drawn up by the assembly will be delivered to the councils in the spring.

While these will not be binding, Mr Humphreys said: “We will recognise how much work has gone into them and we will consider the recommendations that come before us.

“We would expect some good stuff to come out of it.”

Climate assemblies have been set up by a number of councils across the UK since Oxford became the first to do so last year.

Neighbouring Brighton and Hove is also in the process of setting up an assembly, which will be held over the next few months.

Meanwhile a UK-wide climate assembly published its report with recommendations for the Government today – read it here – designed to advise how the UK can reach its legal requirement to become a ‘net zero’ emitter of greenhouse gases by 2050.

As part of the Climate Assembly in Adur and Worthing, local residents can contribute to a questionnaire to help the Councils to learn about what changes in behaviour people have already made that may help towards achieving greater sustainability in the area and capture views and opinions on climate change.

The questionnaire will go live on the council’s website next week – in the meantime, find out more about the climate assembly here.