How is subnational governance responding to climate emergencies? The Citizens’ Assemblies for Climate in South Tyrol and Vorarlberg as a case in point

Considering the increasing difficulties faced by democratic systems in achieving the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, it is more likely that global warming will have a dire impact not only on natural ecosystems but also on governing systems and democratic frameworks. In light of this, a key question is whether democracies are equipped with adequate tools to navigate the climate crisis and have the necessary instruments to prevent faster and less democratic solutions from being preferred to manage climate emergencies. In this context, various participatory processes known as citizens' assemblies (CAs) for climate have been established worldwide to address this dual democratic and climate crisis. Against this background, this contribution aims to compare two CAs (the Consiglio dei cittadini per il Clima/ Klimabürgerrat in Bolzano/Bozen and the Bürgerrat Klima-Zukunft in Vorarlberg) to analyze how the subnational level is responding to the climate crisis in times of climate emergencies through democratic innovations to improve citizens`engagement. The analysis is conducted through a socio-legal qualitative approach and combines a document-based analysis and semi-structured interviews. The main findings suggest that while these citizens’ assemblies are viewed as valuable experiments for enhancing democratic participation and citizen engagement, there is room for improvement in terms of their representativeness and the effectiveness of their policy recommendations. In particular, it may be beneficial to explore mechanisms of self-selection and to develop strategies that enhance the implementation of these recommendations. In this context, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of these initiatives may help policymakers optimize the use of this innovative participatory tool as a form of citizens’ engagement in politics beyond voting.