Reinventing Democracy in the Age of Climate Crisis

Abstract

The liberal democratic nation state established itself and grew alongside an approach to environmental governance that increasingly threatens the stability and sustainability of these societies. Can these same institutions now respond to this growing crisis? Current evidence is not promising. Voluntary international agreements have failed to reduce carbon emissions. As bushfires raged across Eastern Australia, destroying towns and killing a billion animals, the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, refused to recognise that this was even anything out of the ordinary. The Brazilian President, Jair Bolsonaro, is currently facilitating the destruction of the World’s largest carbon sink - the Amazon Rainforest. So, what is the future of democratic governance in the age of climate crisis? Is it gradual adaption or radical revolution? More power to international institutions, or devolution of power to facilitate local-level organisation? What operational and cultural changes to the democratic system are best suited to tackling the wicked problem of climate change? This roundtable brings together leading scholars on democracy and environment to discuss these and other important questions for securing a sustainable democratic future.

Title	Details
Prof Amanda Machin	View Paper Details
Prof John Dryzek	View Paper Details
Prof Patrizia Nanz	View Paper Details