Climate Crisis and the Democratic Prospect: Participatory Governance in Sustainable (2017)

Can contemporary democratic governments tackle climate crisis? Some say that democracy has to be a central part of a strategy to deal with climate change. Others say that experience shows it not to be up to the challenge in the time frame available—that it will require a stronger hand, even a form of eco-authoritarianism. This work seeks to sort out and assess the competing answers to a question that is not easily resolved. While the book supports the case for environmental democracy, it argues that establishing and sustaining democratic practices will be difficult during the global climate turmoil ahead, especially if confronted with permanent states of emergency. This inquiry undertakes a search for an appropriate political-ecological strategy capable of preserving a measure of democratic governance during hard times. Without ignoring the global dimensions of the crisis, the analysis finds an alternative path in the theory and practices of participatory environmental governance embodied in a growing relocalization movement, and a form of global eco-localism. Although these movements largely operate under the radar of the social sciences, the media, and the political realm generally, such vibrant socio-ecological movements not only speak to the crisis ahead, but are already well established and thriving on the ground, including ecovillages, eco-communes, eco-neighborhoods, and local transition initiatives. With the help of these ideas and projects, the task is to shift the discourse of environmental political theory in ways that can assist those who will face the climate crisis in its full magnitude in real terms.

Introduction

Part I Climate Change, Crisis and the Future of Democracy: Setting the Stage

1. Ecological Crisis and Climate Change: From States of Emergency to “Fortress World”?
2. Democracy at Risk: From Citizen Activism to Techno-Environmentalism
3. Technocratic Strategy as Central Steering: From Sustainable Development to Transition Management

Part II Democratic Prospects in the Face of Climate Crisis

1. Environmental Democracy and Ecological Citizenship: From Theoretical Ideals to Practical Alternatives?
2. The Green State as Environmental Democracy? Political Power, Globalization, and Post-Democracy

Part III Environmental Democracy as Participatory Governance

1. Participatory Environmental Governance: Civil Society, Citizen Engagement, and Participatory Policy Expertise
2. The Community Forest Movement in Nepal as Participatory Governance: Civil Society, Deliberative Politics, and Participatory Expertise
3. Practicing Participatory Environmental Governance: Ecovillages and the Global Ecovillage Movement

Part IV Making Theory Matter: From Resilience to Eco-Localism and Participatory Governance

1. Urban Sustainability, Eco-Cities, and Transition Towns: Resilience Planning as Apolitical Politics
2. Relocalization for Sustainable Communities: Participatory Ecological Practices and Theoretical Foundations
3. Sustaining Democracy in Hard Times: Participatory Theory for Local Environmental Governance

Conclusion