This is the title of the World Forum on Democracy (WFD), which is taking place at the headquarters of the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg, concurrently with COP26, in Glasgow. The attempt to link climate change and democracy makes sense, especially if we think about the speed and scale of the changes needed to preserve the lives of future generations.
It is a fact that the current model of democracy has not taken into account the main demands of society. And with that, it has been losing support.
Cambridge University research in 77 countries shows that dissatisfaction with democracy has increased ten points in 24 years, reaching 58% of the population in 2020 (it was 48% in 1996). Another survey, released in October this year by the Pew Research Center, with about 16 thousand interviews in 16 countries in Europe, Asia and North America (USA and Canada), shows that, on average, 56% of the population in these countries would like to major changes or total change in their political systems.
These data are a warning and show that there is much to be improved in current democracies, whether at the local, national or global level, on issues such as diversity in representation, society’s participation in decision-making and transparency.
Globally, it became clear in the pandemic the prevalence of the interests of the richest countries to the detriment of the poorest. Just look at more than 70% of the population vaccinated in developed countries (Europe, USA, Canada), versus less than 5% in some African countries.
Even in the face of a health crisis that is known to demand global solutions, given its form of dissemination, individual decisions prevail over collective ones. In the climate crisis it is no different: the impacts of environmental changes do not respect the borders of countries, but even so, cooperation is negligible given the emergency we are experiencing.
The logic that dominates the decisions of most political and business leaders obeys the time of their mandates, which will always be the short term in relation to global crises. The necessary transformations are structural and demand a long-term vision, incompatible, therefore, with the result that politicians want to present in order to remain in power or with the demands for great results in a short period of time, made by boards and shareholders to CEOs of companies.
Breaking this logic requires more democracy? Yes, if we think of democracy as defending the public interest and the ability to make decisions looking beyond our individual time.
The Sustainable Cities Institute was invited to participate in the World Democracy Forum and present the actions it has developed in Brazilian cities to contribute to the improvement of democracy.
These actions contribute to the reduction of inequalities and the fight against climate change, themes that are inseparable today. And the improvement of democracy, with the participation of society and transparency, is the way to move forward on these issues.
Topics such as governance at different scales for climate challenges, citizen participation and its legal environment are being discussed at the Forum, as well as the growing recognition of the role of young people, women and traditional populations in defending democracy and the environment.
“Can democracy save the environment?” It depends on the quality of democracy. A high-intensity democracy, yes. That it goes beyond the current representation model, with voting every four years. The complexity of the problems and the speed of transformations have increased a lot and require more continuous, agile and diverse forms of participation. They are also valid for global governance, which is still subject to the decision or veto of five powers of a Security Council created in the post-war period, 75 years ago, and which no longer corresponds to current demands. Increasing the number of countries and listening to civil society in global decisions is urgent for the necessary transformations.
So far, the health, social and climate risks we are subject to have not been able to bring about a significant change in political and economic leadership. Every year, hopes are renewed at events like these, even though reality shows that we are not advancing at the necessary speed and scale.
More and more the sense of urgency is present. The improvement of democracy can be a way for us not to depend so much on so few people making decisions that benefit more individual and private interests than the common ones.
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