"The first major book to deal with the dual crises of democracy and climate change as one interrelated threat to the human future and to identify a path forward.
Democracy in a Hotter Time calls for reforming democratic institutions as a prerequisite for avoiding climate chaos and adapting governance to how Earth works as a physical system. To survive in the ""long emergency"" ahead, we must reform and strengthen democratic institutions, making them assets rather than liabilities. Edited by David W. Orr, this vital collection of essays proposes a new political order that will not only help humanity survive but also enable us to thrive in the transition to a post-fossil fuel world.
Orr gathers leading scholars, public intellectuals, and political leaders to address the many problems confronting our current political systems. Few other books have taken a systems view of the effects of a rapidly destabilizing climate on our laws and governance or offered such a diversity of solutions.
These thoughtful and incisive essays cover subjects from Constitutional reform to participatory urban design to education; together, they aim to invigorate the conversation about the human future in practical ways that will improve the effectiveness of democratic institutions and lay the foundation for a more durable and just democracy.
Contributors William J. Barber III, JD, William S. Becker, Holly Jean Buck, Stan Cox, Michael M. Crow, William B. Dabars, Ann Florini, David H. Guston, Katrina Kuh, Gordon LaForge, Hel ne Landemore, Frances Moore Lappe, Daniel Lindvall, Richard Louv, James R. May, Frederick W. Mayer, Bill McKibben, Michael Oppenheimer, David W. Orr, Wellington Reiter, Kim Stanley Robinson, Anne-Marie Slaughter"
By:
David W. Orr,
Bill McKibben
Afterword by:
Kim Stanley Robinson
Imprint: MIT Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions:
Height: 229mm,
Width: 152mm,
Weight: 567g
ISBN: 9780262048590
ISBN 10: 0262048590
Pages: 288
Publication Date: 24 October 2023
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword ix Bill McKibben Introduction 1 David W. Orr The Challenge 13 Michael Oppenheimer Part I: Democracy? 1 Democracy: It's Who We Are and What the Earth Needs 27 Frances Moore Lappe 2 No Decarbonization Without Democratization: To Save the Climate, Open Democracy 37 Helene Landemore 3 Can Democracy Safeguard the Rights of Future Generations? Climate Change and Intergenerational Injustice 51 Daniel Lindvall Part II: Roadblocks 4 Our Urgency of Now: Converging Global Crises in a Time of Political Evolution 69 William J. Barber III, JD 5 Governing Science, Technology, and Innovation in Hotter Times 83 David H. Guston 6 Confronting Climate Change in Extremely Online Times 101 Holly Jean Buck 7 Could a Global Climate Revolution Save the Planet (and Democracy)? 117 Part III: Policy and Law 8 Breaking Policy Gridlocks 133 William S. Becker 9 Democratic Governance for the Long Emergency 151 Ann Florini, Gordon LaForge, and Anne-Marie Slaughter 10 Can the Constitution Save the Planet? 167 Katrina Kuh and James R. May 11 What We Don't Expect, What We Know but Ignore, What We Shouldn't Assume, and What We Can Do 185 Stan Cox Part IV: Education for Uncommon Sense 12 Academic Culture, Democracy, and Climate Change 201 Michael M. Crow and William B. Dabars 13 New America and the Landscape of Democracy 219 Wellington Reiter 14 Watering the Roots of Democracy 229 Richard Louv Afterword 239 Acknowledgments 245 Notes 247 Contributors 271 Index 277
David W. Orr is Professor of Practice at Arizona State University and Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics Emeritus. He is the author of eight books variously about education, climate, and ecological design, including Design on the Edge (MIT Press). He has been awarded nine honorary degrees and a dozen other awards, including lifetime achievement awards from the US Green Building Council and the North American Association for Environmental Education.
Reviews for Democracy in a Hotter Time: Climate Change and Democratic Transformation
"""A valuable book for climate and progressive activists alike."" —Kirkus Reviews"
