Net Zero Perspectives — The Consultation Institute

Published on June 21, 2022 by Rhion Jones

There are many ways to advance towards ‘Net Zero’

It is becoming increasingly clear that there is no one route to ‘net zero’. Indeed, at a time of rivalry between the world’s democracies and more totalitarian regimes, the contrasting approaches are becoming only too obvious.

The Chinese, Russians and motley fellow-travellers shake their heads and claim that democracies will never vote for drastic curbs on their ways of life and the behaviour changes needed to address global warming. For freedom-loving people, it is a considerable challenge – and this was one of the main issues on our minds when the Institute went to COP26 last November.

Some of our conclusions can be seen in the film, Net Zero Voices, released today.

The question we asked was What role does public engagement and consultation play in the pursuit of a Net Zero world?

We gathered a broad range of perspectives. Some of those we approached could not attend in Glasgow because of the pandemic. So, we talked to them afterwards, when the results of COP26 were visible.

The voices you hear in this film are based in the USA, Canada, Australia, India, Turkey, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Turkey; we also spoke to UK-based specialists.

Is there consensus?

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About the Author

Rhion Jones is considered a leading authority on Public Engagement and Consultation. A founding Director of the Consultation Institute, he is co-author of “The Art of Consultation” (2009) and “The Politics of Consultation” (2018). He has delivered over 500 training courses and Masterclasses and is a prolific writer on the subject, having written over 350 different Topic papers and over 50 full Briefing Papers for the Institute. Since 2003 over 15,000 person-days of training based on courses he invented have been delivered. Rhion is in demand as an entertaining Keynote Speaker and Special Adviser, particularly on the Law of Consultation, and its implications for Government and other Public Bodies. In 2017, he was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.