Youth climate activism and democratic innovations: Reframing democratic spaces at a time of polarisation

The youth-led climate movement is one of the best examples of glocal phenomena: it is based on a global demand for climate action but is shaped by hundreds of autonomous local groups around the world who express themselves through specific strategies and respond to unique institutional contexts. In this sense, there are multiple forms of tensions as well as of engagement between youth activists, institutions, and political and social actors. Increased polarisation is a feature of European politics as a whole, with recent years seeing increased support for extreme right and left parties. It ranges from de-politicisation to the adoption of more confrontational strategies and support for parties on the extremes of the political spectrum. In this context, it is crucial to explore the conditions under which a new social contract can emerge between youth climate movements and political institutions in increasingly polarised societies. The evolving landscape of environmental democracy and youth climate activism warrants continuous attention to better comprehend the nuances of this interaction, identify best practices, and inform policy strategies that can synergistically harness the agency of youth to drive forward more participatory and sustainable environmental governance paradigms. The paper contributes to this conversation by focusing on the relationship between youth activism and democratic innovations. It is based on a collective study drawing from case studies in four European cities in France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Through a direct approach to youth voices, our study aims at analysing the effects of democratic innovations locally based on their experience and views on the working of participatory processes. This paper seeks to provide a conceptual framework for the analysis of democratic innovations in the context of youth environmental mobilisation. It will first discuss democratic innovations and environmental democracy as two pivotal concepts and explore their linkages. It will then analyse the intricate relationship between youth mobilisation and dissent, and the evolving institutional landscape of environmental democracy and democratic innovations. Finally, building on the findings from the four case studies, the paper will highlight some elements of the debate on "just transitions" brought about by climate movements and by local institutions that could pave the way for a new social contract around this objective.