Borgernes stemmer i klimadebatten – hvilken vej blæser de globale vinde?

Abstract

Det globale arrangement World Wide Views on Global Warming (WWViews) var et innovativt eksperiment med borgerinddragelse i komplicerede videnskabelige og tekniske problemstillinger. Formål med WWViews var at skabe en fælles global borgerstemme, hvis budskaber skulle kommunikeres til de politiske delegationer, der skulle mødes på FNs klimakonference COP 15 i København i december 2009. Denne artikel er baseret på et empirisk studie af det WWViews arrangement, der blev gennemført i København. Teoretisk trækker vi på teorier om deliberativt demokrati og teorier om borgerinddragelse i tekniske og videnskabelige problemstillinger. Analysen fokuserer på, hvordan borgernes dialog blev institutionelt rammesat som en deliberativ proces. Analysen inkluderer således refleksioner over, hvordan processen var designet, hvordan forskellige typer af viden og ekspertidentiteter blev konstrueret og forhandlet, samt hvordan deltagerne oplevede at være en del af arrangementet. Eftervirkningerne af arrangementet, herunder relationen til COP 15, bliver vurderet i den afsluttende diskussion om den fremtidige brug af WWViews som metode til global borgerinddragelse. ENGELSK ABSTRACT: Birgit Jæger, Erling Jelsøe, Louise Phillips and Annika Agger: Citizens’ Voices in the Climate Debate: Which Way Does the Global Wind Blow? The global event World Wide Views on Global Warming (WWViews) was an innovative experiment with public engagement in science and technology, aiming to create a ”global citizen voice” on climate change. The purpose of WWViews was to convey the opinions of ordinary citizens to political decision-makers at The United Nations Climate Summit, COP 15, in Copenhagen in December 2009. This article is based on a study of the Danish WWViews event, drawing on theoretical perspectives of deliberative democracy and studies of public engagement with science. The focus of the article is on the manner in which citizen deliberations were institutionally framed as an exercise in deliberative democracy. The analysis includes reflections on how the process was designed, how different types of knowledge and expert identities were constructed and negotiated, and how the participants experienced being a part of the event. The implications of the event and its relation to COP 15 are also considered in the discussion about WWViews as an innovative design for global public engagement in science and technology. Key words: Public engagement, deliberative democracy, climate changes, global citizen voice