Deliberative democracy and the climate crisis

Nicole Curato,Graham Smith,Rebecca Willis

doi:10.1002/wcc.759

Abstract

ABSTRACTNo democratic state has yet implemented a climate plan strong enough to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. This has led some to argue that democracy cannot cope with a challenge of this magnitude. In this article, we take stock of the claim that a more deliberative democratic system can strengthen our ability to respond effectively to the climate crisis. The most visible development in this direction is the recent citizens’ assemblies on climate change in Ireland, France, and the UK. We begin our analysis of the promise of deliberative democracy with a recognition of the difficulties that democracies face in tackling climate change, including short‐termism; the ways in which scientific and expert evidence are used; the influence of powerful political interests; and the relationship between people and the politicians that represent them. We then introduce the theoretical tradition of deliberative democracy and examine how it might ameliorate the challenges democracies face in responding to the climate crisis. We evaluate the contribution of deliberative mini‐publics, such as citizens’ assemblies and juries, and look beyond these formal processes to examine how deliberation can be embedded in political and social systems around the world. We conclude that deliberation‐based reforms to democratic systems, including but not limited to deliberative mini‐publics, are a necessary and potentially transformative ingredient in climate action.This article is categorized under: Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Communication Policy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions

Highlights

If democratic states are to respond adequately to the climate crisis, they must find ways to steer far-reaching programs of action through democratic governance systems
What accounts for the increasing popularity of deliberative democracy? How viable is a deliberative approach to politics in contexts of sharp inequalities and entrenched political interests? What are the precise ways in which deliberative politics can be embedded in different political contexts? This review article provides an overview of the answers to these questions
There is a range of criticisms made about climate assemblies and deliberative mini-publics (DMPs): first, that citizens cannot cope with the complexities of climate science and policy, so the findings of DMPs cannot be relied upon; second, that DMPs have a limited effect on political decision-making; and third, that DMPs undermine the authority of politicians, by providing an alternative source of democratic legitimacy—an objection that is to some extent at odds with the second criticism

Summary

Introduction

If democratic states are to respond adequately to the climate crisis, they must find ways to steer far-reaching programs of action through democratic governance systems. The area where most active academic and practical work on deliberative democracy is taking place is arguably on democratic innovations—institutions designed to increase and deepen participation in political decision making (Fung, 2003; Smith, 2009; Warren, 2009).

Results

Conclusion