POLITICS IN A CLIMATE- CHALLENGED SOCIETY
Professor David SchlosbergDepartment of Government and
International Relations
Overview of the Challenges
Climate change challenges us to adapt – it’s too late for prevention
Climate change challenges the relationship between science, knowledge, progress, and democracy
Climate change challenges our dedication to justice
Climate change challenges how we govern ourselves
Climate change challenges us to rethink how we relate to the rest of nature.
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From Prevention to Adaptation Adaptation is not an option From unacceptable and impolitic to
necessity Not all adaptive responses are
sustainable Resilience
Adger: “the ability of a system to absorb change while retaining essential function…to have the capacity to adapt and learn.”
Potential dangers of resilience as an adaptive frame
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Science, Progress, Democracy The fantasy of enlightenment thinking
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Knowledge, the public, and policy
Sarawitz: Science cannot solve disputes that are at root political or ethical.
From one-way communication to public engagement
Inclusion of a variety of local knowledges and discourses.
Examples: NYC heat island planning Alberta Climate Dialogue Forthcoming work in adaptation planning
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The Challenge of Justice UNFCCC 1992: “protect the climate system for
the benefit of present and future generations of mankind, on the basis of equity and in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capacities”
So: We have responsibility to the future and across
borders Equity is a basic principle Yet we also have differing responsibilities… …and differing capacities to act The climate system supports life itself
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The Challenge(s) of Justice, continued
Expanding the community of justice: Across borders Across generations
Historical responsibility: polluter pays Equity: everybody must act Does climate change violate human rights? Do we have environmental rights? An
“environmental justice threshold” Justice for nonhuman individuals and
communities?
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Justice and Local Adaptation
Voice to local communities Vulnerability mapping Participation, engagement, and
deliberation
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The Challenge of Governance
How do we govern ourselves through climate change?
Proposals for new forms of global governance
Focus on governance – not just governments
Governance for adaptation - Bierman Distributed governance Networked governance
Opposition, contestation, reflexivity
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The Challenge of New Materialism The unsustainable practices of everyday
life Movements for sustainable materialism
Local energy generation and transition Food security through community
agriculture Crafting, making, mending
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Framing Sustainable Materialism 1 A response to powerlessness
Resisting the current flows of power Embodying new forms of power and flows
of materials
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Framing Sustainable Materialism 2 Beyond post-materialism Not just about values or political
interests Developing sustainable practices and
institutions, focused on material flows
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Framing Sustainable Materialism 3
Aimed directly at sustainability, and the human relationship with nonhuman world
Flows of food, matter, energy. Actively replace a politics of separation
with one of immersion. Latour: Neither liberation from Nature nor
fall…but a process of becoming ever-more attached
Critiques: Easily hijacked, often apolitical
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Adaptation Gives Us A Lot To Do
Future plans, collaborations, networks. Questions….
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POLITICS IN A CLIMATE- CHALLENGED SOCIETY
Professor David SchlosbergDepartment of Government and
International Relations