The Climate Threat. Crisis for Democracy?

ISBN-13: 9783031344701 / Angielski / Twarda / 2023 / 362 str.

Jon Naustdalslid

Spis treści

PART I. The climate threat and democracy

Chapter 1. The point of departure

            A global failure

            A gloomy picture

            Will we have to discard democracy to save the world?

            My point of departure

            What about the precautionary principle?

            Democracy

            The two sides of the climate problem

Chapter 2. The climate problem and climate policy

            The mechanisms behind global warming

            Global warming versus climate

            An example: “We have only 12 years”

            What does the IPCC say?

            Climate policy

            A wicked problem

            From Rio via Kyoto to Paris

            A failing model

            Goal management of the global temperature

            The global strategy and the frustration with democracy

Part II. Antidemocratic threats

Chapter 3. The antidemocratic heritage and the dream about “Eco dictatorship”

            Historical roots – society as a threat against nature

            The ecological heritage of the environmental movement

            The extreme to the right – eco fascism

            Eco fascism to-day

Chapter 4. The current climate debate and the threat to democracy

            The deep-ecology roots of the current climate debate

            Anti-democratic activism

            The vision of the expert-governed meritocracy

            Climate change as a threat against free debate and critical research

            Critique of the antidemocratic answer to the climate problem

            Are authoritarian regimes doing better?

            Is an authoritarian climate coup likely?

Chapter 5. Popular climate uproar and the undermining of democracy

            The car-based society

            Climate uproar to “save the climate”

            The road toll uproar

            The ferry uproar

            The wind power uproar

            The popular uproar against climate hysteria

            Unrealistic climate goals and the undermining of democracy

            The problem with the person-focused climate policy

            The polarized climate debate and the undermining of democracy

Chapter 6. The “non-political” solution of the climate problem

            What is climate engineering

            A global heatshield

            Historical retrospect

            A problematic strategy

            The search for knowledge

            The democratic problem

PART III. DEMOCRATIC ALTERNATIVES

Chapter 7. A wicked problem

            The crisis strategy

            Why do climate policies become so conflict-ridden?

            A little bit of theory

            The theory and climate policies – wind power as an example

            About theory and practice

            Lenin and Thunberg or Brox (for info:  Brox is a Norwegian professor)

            About future generations

            About eating an elephant

Chapter 8. Contributions to democratic answers to the climate problem

            About taking bites of the elephant

            Carbon tax rather that emission quotas

            Green growth

            A green New Deal

            What about nuclear power?

            Finally, some points about adapting to a changing climate

            No “quick fix”

Chapter 9. The dream about Paradise

            About recreating Paradise

            Forward towards the past

            Paradise lost

            The climate problem, democracy and defence of the open society

References

Notes

Keywords

O autorze

Jon Naustdalslid is a political scientist and nonfiction author. He has had a long professional career from the university system and the social science institute sector, including as long-term leader of the Norwegian Institute for Urban and Regional Research (NIBR). He has published a number of articles and books on social governance, climate, and the environment.

Blurb

A key point in the book is the need to focus more seriously at the energy problem as the real problem behind global warming. The failure of global climate policies to reduce CO2 emissions and halt climate change has led an increasing number of scientist and activists to lose confidence in democracy's ability to handle climate change and led them to look to more authoritarian measures to meet the problem. The book documents these trends, also from a historical perspective, criticize them and sketches more democratic alternatives.