*********************************
There is now a CONTENT FREEZE for Mercury while we switch to a new platform. It began on Friday, March 10 at 6pm and will end on Wednesday, March 15 at noon. No new content can be created during this time, but all material in the system as of the beginning of the freeze will be migrated to the new platform, including users and groups. Functionally the new site is identical to the old one. webteam@gatech.edu
*********************************
Atlanta, GA | Posted: October 12, 2009
Summary Sentence:
Global citizen deliberations are prelude to COP15
Full Summary:
On September 26, 2009, forty-five Atlanta citizens participated in a landmark event: the first world-wide, real-time democratic deliberation of a policy issue "" climate change. Faciliated by The idea for the event was to afford randomly selected citizens around the world the opportunity to influence issues central to the negotiations that will take place at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen December 2009.
On September 26, 2009, forty-five Atlanta citizens participated in a landmark event: the first world-wide, real-time democratic deliberation of a policy issue "" climate change. The idea for the event was to afford randomly selected citizens around the world the opportunity to influence issues central to the negotiations that will take place at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen December 2009.
The deliberations were led by faculty in the School of Public Policy are part of the World Wide Views on Global Warming (WWViews) initiative led by the Danish Board of Technology. Georgia Tech/Atlanta was one of five U.S. venues among 38 countries worldwide who participated in the citizen consultations. The goal was to give "ordinary citizens" a voice in the political decision-making process on the future of global climate policy. Results from the Atlanta deliberations were posted real-time along with those of participating nations around the globe on the WWViews website and can be viewed there.
In remarks opening the day of deliberations, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin reinforced that climate change is "a significant issue to Atlanta" and noted that the deliberations extend the "real action" taken by the city toward climate protection.
School of Public Policy faculty members Robert Kirkman, Marilyn Brown, and Susan Cozzens organized Atlanta's participation in concert with Mary Hunt at Georgia Tech's Sustainable Energy Institute (SEI). The School and SEI were joined in sponsorship of the event by the Turner Foundation, Inc. and the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems.
