The World We Have Created: Climate, Democracy and Knowledge

Addressing the complex interplay between climate change, democratic governance, and scientific knowledge in the Anthropocene era, this book focuses on how political systems respond to the global ecological crisis and to what extent they are structurally capable of doing so.

The World We Have Created: Climate, Democracy and Knowledge details how the de-democratization of ecological decision-making favors models of authoritarian governance, as democratic values such as transparency, participation, and accountability are continually undermined. Offering a robust account of the responses to the climate crisis and the necessary social and political changes posed by the scientific consensus, this book analyses the growing discrepancy between scientific knowledge about the causes and consequences of climate change and the lack of political and social willingness to implement necessary measures. Comprehensive social change is needed that focuses on social justice, intergenerational responsibility, and political participation, and it is only by strengthening democratic structures and integrating knowledge into responsible governance can we open paths to a resilient, just, and liveable future.

This sharp, interdisciplinary intervention bridges sociological, political, and philosophical thinking to underline the necessity of hope and utopian social imagination together with concrete changes to the constitution that guarantees a safe environment for future generations.

Nico Stehr is Karl Mannheim Professor of Cultural Studies Emeritus at the Zeppelin University, Friedrichshafen, Germany. He is a fellow of the Royal Society (Canada). He is one of the authors of the Hartwell Paper on climate policy. His recent books include Knowledge Capitalism (Routledge, 2022), Money: A Theory of Modern Society (Routledge, 2020), and Knowledge: Is Knowledge Power? (with Marion Adolf, Routledge, 2017).