A select group of Dutch people may advise the cabinet on climate – ‘I also like being able to travel far away’

“Do you care about the climate?” Anniek (18) looks around the circle.

Nah, not really,” says Alex (18). Two other boys also say that they are “neutral” and “not concerned with it that much.”

“That surprises me,” says Anniek. “I expected that there would be more people with concerns.”

“I think it is important,” says Josephine (19), “but I also like being able to travel far away.”

Teuntje laughs. “Of course you can’t do that on a bike!”

The youngest participants in the National Climate Citizens Council that started this Saturday are still standing together somewhat awkwardly on a round rug in a huge warehouse in Amersfoort. They are between 17 and 19 years old and are representative of the group in this age category in the Netherlands. 6 percent of Dutch people fall into that age category, with nine of them making up 5 percent of the participants. The largest group, 49 percent of the Netherlands versus 52 percent of the citizens’ council, is over fifty.

The citizens’ council, a democratic form of participation, will meet six weekends in the coming months. Under professional guidance, they will discuss the question: how can we eat, use things and travel in the Netherlands in a way that is better for the climate? They will also be trained by experts on climate change and they can invite experts themselves to think about certain sub-topics. Afterwards, they will come up with fifteen recommendations that will be presented to the cabinet in September.

These are advice, “not like binding study advice,” emphasizes Minister Judith Uitermark (Home Affairs, NSC), who has been invited to the kick-off together with Minister Sophie Hermans (Green Growth and Climate, VVD). “But our basic attitude is that we take your recommendations very seriously,” she continues. “We will have to take everything into account and see what is feasible,” Hermans also says, “but the advice is very important.”

The assignment for this citizens’ council, which was given by the previous cabinet and the House of Representatives, states that politicians have an obligation to provide reasons for the results of the citizens’ council, and that parliament has a duty to discuss them. “No matter how different the parties in this coalition are,” says Uitermark later, “we put the citizens first more than ever. That is why it would not be fair to make promises that we cannot keep.”

Concerned citizens

A total of 70,000 people received an invitation, four thousand people indicated that they wanted to participate, and ultimately 175 people were selected. This was done by means of a weighted draw to get a representative group – “The Netherlands in miniature”, the organization emphasizes – based on gender, education level, place of residence and views on the climate issue. For example, 18 percent of Dutch people are very concerned about the climate and 22 percent are not concerned, a group that also wants less climate policy.

Sjoerd Douma (48) from Leiden has no idea what to expect in advance. “I had no good reason not to register for this when I received an invitation,” says the professor of tax law at the University of Amsterdam. “Climate is a problem for the entire earth, but there are also other major problems in the world. I think it is important that our advice will soon be achievable for everyone. Furthermore, I am very open about it.”

Ramona de Roij (53) from Tilburg is also affected. “Climate is not a big issue for me,” she says. “I mainly deal with it practically, depending on how my hat looks.” She works as an IT specialist for an insurer and wants to ensure that recommendations are fair during citizen consultations. “Such as subsidies for electric cars. These are now only for the early adoptersbut if others also want to drive electric, they are suddenly abolished.”

Learn to listen better

What those recommendations will be is still completely open. The first morning is mainly about getting to know each other. Participants sit in a large, oval circle and it is explained how the process will proceed. Participants will also probably learn how to listen well to each other. “That is one of the most important things,” says chairman of the citizens’ council Nienke Meijer. “That everyone here is given the space to say what he or she thinks – even people who would be less likely to do so on their own.”

Gertjan (52) from Roosendaal already sees gains for himself in that area. In a conversation during the break between him and two other participants, he does all the talking, until he briefly falls silent. “I’m bad at listening. I have my opinion and I think it is the right opinion. But I have already heard quite a lot of new things today.” He sees that the world is changing due to global warming, but ideas about this are often “shoved down everyone’s throats by the media”. He himself thinks the climate is “not that important”. Will that change by listening better? “Maybe.”

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