{"id":4263,"date":"2021-09-16T15:03:22","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T07:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/world.350.org\/philippines\/?p=4263"},"modified":"2021-09-17T15:08:08","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T07:08:08","slug":"democracy-in-decline-impacts-for-climate-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.350.org\/philippines\/democracy-in-decline-impacts-for-climate-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Democracy in Decline: Impacts for climate justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pascale Hunt<\/strong>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Democracy is a concept that is easily romanticized, often weaponized, and at times used to describe systems to which it may no longer be deserving. In theory, it is used to denote a government that adheres to a particular set of characteristics and practices: free, fair and competitive elections between distinct parties; a separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches; the rule of law; the protection of human rights, civil rights, and civil liberties; and political freedom for all individuals. In political philosophy, it is \u201crule by consent of the ruled\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

But democracy isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all. While liberal democracy is held up in Western discourse as the gold standard \u2014 famously characterized in 1989 by Francis Fukuyama as <\/span>\u2018the end of history\u2019<\/span><\/a>, nation-states across the globe which, on paper, are democracies, have evolved across time in their own distinct ways, influenced by myriad contextually specific religious and cultural practices, diverse experiences with colonialism and imperialism, positions within the global political economic system, and geographical idiosyncrasies.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The slogan \u201cof the people, by the people, for the people\u201d, implies a much more inclusive, equitable, and just reality than is largely the case in most contexts. The historical process of state creation left certain coalitions of individuals behind \u2014 stateless people became asylum seekers, and marginalized people within states continue to be repressed, colonized, and displaced. The \u201cfor the people” part of the slogan is particularly questionable in today\u2019s globalized economies, where neoliberalism has in many cases become synonymous with democracy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Michelle (center) with the Lumad communities protesting against the killings in Mindanao. (c) Pinoy Weekly, September 2015<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n


\nThis interchangeability is especially accepted by some of the world\u2019s most supposedly robust democracies, who justify interventions into territories not their own on the pretext of upholding democratic ideals and human rights. But these states themselves largely fail to live up to their own supposed ideals, and warrant their own fair share of scrutiny when it comes to the legitimacy of their titles. The extent to which electoral participation that occurs every four years \u2014 for the most part between two dominating parties, whose ideological differences in many ways are aligned, and who are often accountable to a shared pool of corporations for campaign donations \u2014 constitutes true democratic participation, should be questioned.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Furthermore, in the context of domestic media environments that function largely as corporate or partisan propaganda and the proliferation of new-media misinformation and disinformation in recent years, the consent bestowed upon elected officials electorally is often fairly perceived by those whose interests are unrepresented in popular discourse as a <\/span>consent that is manufactured.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

In the context of the climate crisis \u2014 an issue that transcends the confines of any singular governing system \u2014 we put significant power in regional and international bodies and institutions which are themselves non-democratic. The G20, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, ASEAN, along with COP 26 just around the corner, are not represented equally, and not all votes carry the same weight. Nevertheless, these international bodies are unquestionably necessary instruments in our global movement to confront climate change. Achieving the targets set out in the Paris Agreement requires a media and information ecosystem that empowers public understanding of climate issues, as well as empowered participation in decision making processes at COP 26 for the world\u2019s most vulnerable countries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn democratic countries, [political imperatives] are bound to be deeply shaped by short-term factors, which often constrain their political space and push them away from climate action,\u201d <\/span>writes<\/span><\/a> Rafael Jimene Aybar in <\/span>Global Policy Journal<\/span><\/i>.\u201c\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2012, the Work Programme on Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) programme adopted in Doha emphasized the critical role played by civil society in addressing the climate crisis. Comprised of education, training, public awareness, access to information, public participation and international cooperation, the programme sought to democratize climate policy decision making and is set to be updated at COP26 with a new multi-annual work programme.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While many countries across Asia continue to experience exponential economic growth, increased and more severe climate-induced weather events are becoming more and more frequent. Droughts, heatwaves, and typhoons have resulted in <\/span>significant loss and damage<\/span><\/a> across the region in the last decade alone, with the Internal Displacement Monitoring Center <\/span>estimating<\/span><\/a> that 32 million people in Southeast Asia experienced displacement as a result of weather-related natural disasters in the four years between 2015 and 2019. Last month\u2019s <\/span>IPCC report<\/span><\/a> set out predictions for continuing severe climate impacts for the region, which will, in turn, bring about flow-on implications for regional stability and human security impacts within states.<\/span><\/p>\n

Civil disobedience, protest, and collective actions are indispensable means of expressing dissent and broadening the political discourse to make room for the contentions \u2014 be they political, environmental, or social \u2014 that governments of all stripes too often fail to address within their limited paradigms.<\/span><\/p>\n

Freedom House\u2019s Freedom in the World 2021 Report found a decline in democratic functions across the world in the last twelve months, a trend that has been underway now <\/span>for 15 consecutive years.<\/span><\/a> While in some cases, the Covid-19 pandemic was weaponized to stifle freedom of assembly, movement and other civil liberties, there was an <\/span>increase in deadly attacks<\/span><\/a> against activists and environmental defenders worldwide. These incidents disproportionately impacted the Global South, and <\/span>more than a third<\/span><\/a> were perpetrated against Indigenous Peoples who make up only 5% of the global population.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A recent study indicated that \u2018dominant party systems\u2019 \u2014 those which look like democracies but function as autocracies \u2014 have increased from <\/span>around 13% of countries during the Cold War to around 33% today<\/span><\/a>, and are mostly, but not exclusively, located in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.<\/span><\/p>\n

Global Witness reported<\/span><\/a> this week that 2020 was the worst year on record for global killings of environmental activists. <\/span>\u201cAs the climate crisis deepens, forest fires rampage across swathes of the planet, drought destroys farmland, and floods leave thousands dead, the situation for frontline communities and defenders of the Earth is getting worse\u201d, the report said<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

FIRST IN ASIA, THIRD WORLDWIDE. This is the Philippines’ ranking for the most number of killed land rights and environmental advocates in 2020, according to an environmental watchdog.<\/p>\n

READ: https:\/\/t.co\/GYkxAtCepL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dJC6B1pd61<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) September 13, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n