Top-down public engagement on climate action: Ireland’s National Dialogue on Climate Action

The ‘democratic wave’ in relation to citizen involvement in climate change policy challenges is illustrated here in the Irish context through the Citizens’ Assembly on Climate Change. The National Dialogue on Climate Action (NDCA) has sought to broaden the time and space for citizen input into climate change policy formation. The NDCA positions Ireland as continuing to innovate within democratic processes. This note reflects upon the NDCA for the years 2021–2025. We first outline the national policy context in which these deliberative mechanisms emerged, situating Ireland’s decarbonisation pathway in relation to European emissions ceilings. Following this, we provide a historical and contextual brief on citizen engagement in Irish climate policy which laid the foundations for the establishment of the NDCA. We outline the conceptual foundations of the NDCA before outlining its four main pillars. Finally, we reflect upon the impact of such processes and outline ways forward for national policy mechanisms to co-create decarbonisation pathways with citizens. This note serves to position the NDCA temporally, in relation to national engagement on climate change, and internationally in relation to policy innovations for citizen involvement in climate change policy.