Within the “crisis in liberal democracy” of the past decade, two issues that have been detrimental: climate change and right-wing extremism (Forchtner, 2019, 11). Interestingly, a small, albeit growing, number of people are seeking to combine the two – they are right-wing extremist preoccupied with environmentalist concerns. Yet right-wing extremist environmentalism, or eco-fascism, is overlooked…
Category: ISSUE 4: CLIMATE CHANGE
Reinforcing the Political Red Lines of a Green New Deal
In delineating between the moral necessity to take practical action in light of our global climate crisis and the strategic considerations of political parties seeking to secure the support of voters, it can be concluded that the premise of a “Green New Deal” (GND) is far from guaranteed. This is true on both sides of…
Climate Justice: Human Rights on a Planet in Distress
An increasing number of individuals around the world are taking action to fight against climate change. In most occasions, protesters and activists have stressed the tight link between the environmental threats we are facing today and human rights. The observable damage to specific ecosystems and to the planet as a whole has indeed repeatedly revealed…
Can Climate Change Explain the Cause of War?
Throughout history, many scholars have tried explaining the causes of war. Thucydides, an Athenian historian, argued that war is caused when a traditional great power feels threatened by the emergence of a new rival power, whilst Clausewitz, the foremost military theorist, asserted that war is caused by a states’ pursuit of national interests. But looking…
Judicial Review in the Time of Climate Change
In the age of the Anthropocene, where human activity threatens to change irreparably the environment in which we live, there exist serious challenges to the traditional law-making techniques of the liberal democratic state. While not strictly confined to climate change, these challenges apply acutely to that phenomenon. Indeed, climate change is the biggest threat of…
The (real) price of affordable sustainability, a tale from crowded Colombian buses
Bogota is regarded by international institutions – particularly the World Bank – as a pioneer in the development of green, low-cost, urban transportation networks, thanks to its innovative Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. However, rising transport prices regularly encourage street protests, with many Bogotanese demanding the construction of a rail network to properly meet the transportation needs of the capital.
DiCaprio, Fonda & Co: The celebritization of environmental politics
“Climate change is real. It is happening right now. It is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating”. This moving call for action comes unexpectedly not from a scientist or from a politician, but from actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who delivered a compelling speech on the…
“Greenwashing” : the story of sustainable / environmental propaganda
Although proliferation of environmental claims appears to be great news at first sight, the lack of accuracy of among those is absolutely alarming. As discussed here, the most profitable companies are being accused of greenwashing, regardless of the level of harm their industry is causing to the environment.
Editorial: Climate Change
“The last five years have been the hottest ever recorded. Sea levels are at the highest in human history (…). The point of no return is no longer over the horizon. It is in sight and is hurtling towards us” In a recent press conference ahead of the COP25 presided by Chile in Madrid (2…
SENSUS 