(Deliberative) Democracy in the Times of the Anthropocene

Abstract

It has been evident for some time that democracies face significant challenges when addressing the issue of climate change. This has given rise to a trend that could be termed «eco-authoritarian», based on the belief that the magnitude of the problem may require, in certain cases, the suspension of some democratic rules. Contrary to this orientation is the so-called «libertarian paternalism», which argues that it is possible to structure decision-making in a way that encourages individuals to make environmentally-oriented choices without impinging on their freedom. The thesis of the article is that a response to the challenges posed by both sides can be found in a deliberative conception of democracy, which draws from the mutual exchange between the institutional formation of will and an informal formation of opinion and ideas.