Summary

The magnitude, complexity of the policies required to address climate change, as well as the urgency to implement them, make it hard to imagine how such policies could be entirely democratic. In fact, some activists, social scientists, and political philosophers have questioned whether democracy can effectively address the climate emergency. Is there a form of “climate democracy” where the deployment of timely and adequate climate policies is fully compatible with substantial democratic principles?

Drawing on the tools of democratic theory and environmental ethics, my dissertation addresses this pressing question. I offer a philosophical framework that lays out the democratic principles that should guide and constrain climate policies while guaranteeing the efficiency and expediency required to address global warming. I approach the question from the perspectives of both governments and social movements and inquire what is democratically legitimate (that is, permissible or justifiable in a democracy) for each of these groups of agents to do in the face of the climate emergency. Such framework could help us to distinguish between cases where there is a tradeoff between climate action and democracy and cases where we can resolve the tension between the two. My project invites us to rethink what democracy means in the 21st century in the face of global challenges and to rethink the limits of climate action.