Democratic Innovations in Environmental Politics

Abstract

Democracy is at a crossroads between deep crisis and enthusiastic innovation; and an area in which this plays out particularly starkly is environmental politics. Environmental governance has long been known for its commitment to grassroots and innovative forms of democracy; yet at the same time, the spectre of environmental catastrophe has also provided the grounds for outright rejection of democracy. Thus, as environmental threats such as climate change are intensifying, environmental politics is bound to become a key testing ground for the future of democracy. The proposed panel aims to bring together research on both the theory and the practice of democratic innovation in relation to environmental politics. In terms of theory, it revisits the question of the relationship between democracy and environmental governance, with particular attention to the role and prospect of new forms of democracy. In terms of practice, it invites case studies as well as broader empirical research that shed light on the promise and impact of the application of democratic innovations in environmental politics.