The role of deliberative democracy in empowering alternative now(s)? To what extent do climate assembly participants contribute to crafting alternative systems?

Tools

Kirk, J. ORCID: 0000-0002-0644-5671, 2023. The role of deliberative democracy in empowering alternative now(s)? To what extent do climate assembly participants contribute to crafting alternative systems? . ISSN 0170-8406 (Forthcoming)

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

This paper argues that the ‘disconnect between micro-level voluntary sustainability practices…and observed aggregate environmental outcomes’ can be partially explained by the paralysis caused from siloing temporality in our sociological engagement with the crisis. It suggests that humanity has simultaneously situated the climate crisis as a future issue, whilst locking societal responses onto expectations that are governed by understandings of the past and the present as defined by existing carbon hegemonies. It argues that such temporal siloing has led to paralysis when it comes to transformational climate action at scale. Mainstream political processes have so far proven unable to address this challenge with system change proving to be ‘too big a leap for many politicians’ (Willis, 2020, p.102). To move beyond this impasse, the paper looks to the role of deliberative democracy as an expansion to the democratic process. It explores how deliberative engagement might help overcome temporal siloing and contribute to the crafting of alternative future systems. This contributes to the call to study possible alternative futures in two ways. Firstly, in exploring the role of deliberative democracy as a tool to bring about future transformations for more empowered engagement with the crisis at scale, and at pace. And secondly, by exploring the potential role for deliberative democracy as a central pillar on which to ground our future societies moving forward.

Item Type:

Journal article

Creators:

Kirk, J.

Publisher:

SAGE Publications

Date:

10 March 2023

ISSN:

0170-8406

Identifiers: