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.
Introduction: Democracy on hold?
A minute to midnight: Governing the planet
The energy elephant
Dual realities: Living with the climate crisis
20 years of climate action, but emissions are still rising
More, and better, democracy
A strategy for the climate emergency
The personal is political: How to be a good climate citizen
