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Ecological Democracy in the World at Risk
Language: English
The global risks such as climate change and nuclear power are threatening the sustainability of global ecosystem as well as survival of human beings. If we would like to construct ecologically sustainable and socially just society worldwide, we need to tackle the issues of democracy and cosmopolitanism. Democracy is at risk in the world and authoritarianism is threatening social inclusion and ecological sustainability.
In this situation we need to discuss ‘reconstructing democracy on the basis of ecological sustainability’. Ecological democracy can be defined as ‘non-anthropocentric political process in which the socio-economic minorities, guardians of future generations and nonhuman beings can participate and deliberate for the welfare of them’.
Ecological democracy needs to be discussed at the global level, because it is hard to be realized sufficiently on the basis of capitalist nation state system. Methodological cosmopolitanism needs to be discussed for tackling the issue of eco-democratic transition (Ulrich Beck, 2009).
For example, energy transition on the basis of ecological democracy can be found in Europe and East Asia. Many European countries such as Germany and France decided to reduce or close nuclear power plant after the Fukushima disaster. In East Asian countries, the resurgence of anti-nuclear campaign, the energy saving movement and the advocacy movement of renewable energy proliferated after the Fukushima disaster. In this context, this session is organized in order to analyze how people work for ecologically sustainable and socially just society in the national and global level in terms of ecological democracy.