Too Hot to Handle? : The Democratic Challenge of Climate Change

Scientists are clear that urgent action is needed on climate change, and world leaders agree. Yet climate issues barely trouble domestic politics. This book explores a central dilemma of the climate crisis: science demands urgency; politics turns the other cheek. Is it possible to hope for a democratic solution to climate change? Based on interviews with leading politicians and activists, and the author’s twenty years on the frontline of climate politics, this book explores why climate is such a challenge for political systems, even when policy solutions exist. It argues that more democracy, not less, is needed to tackle the climate crisis, and suggests practical ways forward. Front Cover Endorsement Too Hot To Handle?: The Democratic Challenge of Climate Change Copyright information Contents Acknowledgments One Introduction: Democracy on Hold? The scientific consensus: urgent action is needed The social consensus: not the most pressing problem What lies ahead? The background to this book: research theory and method Two A Minute to Midnight: Governing the Planet Spaceship Earth: can we take control of earth systems? Governing the climate: from Kyoto to Paris and beyond Governing the climate at national level Democracy in crisis Three The Energy Elephant Technology to the rescue? Power politics and vested interests Will climate crises become political crises? Four Dual Realities: Living with the Climate Crisis Freaks and zealots? Climate change and the culture of politics What about the voters? 2019: a climate spring? Cool dudes and catastrophists Five Twenty Years of Climate Action – but Still Emissions Rise Feelgood fallacies and stealth strategies Economic policy and climate change Local strategies for climate action Energy policy without people Six More, and Better, Democracy Rethinking representation Opening up to deliberation A story of transformation An appeal to the heart Seven A Strategy for the Climate Emergency Radicalism or pragmatism? An upfront acknowledgement of the climate crisis A clear strategy with democratic oversight A transition away from fossil fuels and high-carbon systems Linking to the international effort A climate strategy checklist Eight The Personal Is Political: How To Be a Good Climate Citizen Speak out Take to the streets Think conversation, not monologue Change the rules Think about your own footprint, at home and work Be kind to yourself And finally References Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Index Back Cover World Leaders Have Agreed To Limit Rises In Global Temperatures, Yet Climate Issues Scarcely Trouble Domestic Policies. Implementing Climate Solutions Successfully Through The Democratic Process Requires A Radical Political Shift And An Overhaul Of The Laws And Systems That Govern Our Society. Drawing On Interviews With Politicians And Activists, This Book Provides An In-depth Comparative Analysis Of International Climate Policies To Examine How We Can Build Impactful Democratic Solutions To Climate Change. The Author Confronts The Difficulties Of Fitting The Climate Change Agenda Into The Current Political System, Including How To Make It A Voter Priority, Whilst Proposing Practical Ways Forward For Climate Change Politics. Through a comparative analysis of international climate polices, this book examines how we can build impactful democratic solutions to climate change and proposes practical ways forward for successfully translating the climate crisis into politics and policy