Image by Dave Hoefler via Unsplash
On June 9 to 13, the Center for New Democratic Processes conducted the Pierce County Rural Climate Dialogue. This 5-day online jury focused on making recommendations of actions to address impacts of climate change on local public health as well as on disaster and emergency management in Pierce County.
Background & Context
The Pierce County Rural Climate Dialogue brought together a microcosm of the county for a five-day deliberative event modeled on the Citizens’ Jury method of deliberative democracy. Participants were tasked with creating a shared, community-based response to climate change and extreme weather events in response to their charge:
“How might our community, in the face of extreme weather and climate change, secure a healthy, resilient, and economically vibrant future?”
The outcomes and findings of the Climate Dialogue will inform the Pierce Conservation District’s Climate Resiliency 2021-2025 Strategic Goals and Targets and be used to shape the commissioning partners’ ongoing conservation work.
The outcomes were shared with decision-makers to inform future planning and decision-making related to climate change and extreme weather among Pierce County government agencies and elected bodies. The outcomes may also be used to initiate a series of community pilot projects funded through a grant received by the Pierce Conservation District.
The Pierce County Dialogue was commissioned by the Pierce Conservation District and the Puyallup Watershed Initiative. The commissioning bodies partnered with the Center for New Democratic Processes to design and implement the deliberative event.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT
- Location: Online (Pierce County, WA)
- No. of Juries: 1
- Jury Length/Duration: 5 days (online)
- No. of Participants: 15 jurors
- Targeted Participants: Rural Residents from Pierce County
- Recruitment: Random selection and stratification
- Target Outcome: Jury Reports; Summary Report; Supplemental Research to Guide Policy Development
Partners & Funders
Pierce Conservation District and the Puyallup Watershed Initiative.
Citizens’ Jury – Deliberative Process
The 5-day Pierce County Rural Climate Dialogue convened a group of 15 rural Pierce County residents selected to represent a cross-section of the county. Participants were anonymously selected from a pool of nearly 200 applicants to reflect the demographic makeup of the county in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, education, political affiliation, and region.
Over the five days, participants learned about weather and climate trends in Pierce County, identified local impacts of climate change and extreme weather on public health, as well as disaster and emergency management, and developed recommendations for actions that could be taken to respond to these impacts. The findings and recommendations in this report were generated by participants themselves, outlining the information they studied and the recommendations they made. For more detail, please visit Rural Climate Dialogue.
Citizens Jury’ Report
The Pierce County Rural Climate Dialogue report:
Pierce County Rural Climate Report
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You can continue to follow the latest updates here or on our social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin) as they are available. If you are interested in learning more about this project or are considering engagement on rural climate related topic, contact hello@cndp.us to explore partnership possibilities.