Searching for ‘the political’ in environmental politics

Kenis, Anneleen; Lievens, Matthias

doi:10.1080/09644016.2013.870067

Cited by 111 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…It is argued that the imposition of what are essentially top-down solutions under a process that is described by donors and intervention implementers as explicitly democratic or participatory has little to do with meaningful participation, not to mention democracy (Kenis & Lievens, 2014;Swyngedouw, 2010). It has been argued that the technocratic bias of this approach can undermine local adaptation by ignoring community capacity and the reasons for its decline (Fu et al, 2012;McNamara, 2013;Pelling, 2011).…”

Section: Community-based Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politicizing vulnerability and adaptation: on the need to democratize local responses to climate impacts in developing countries

Mikulewicz

2017

Climate and Development

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Since entering the global agenda in the mid-1990s, adaptation to climate change has moved from being considered a largely technical and environmental issue to one rooted in more social and economic circumstances of vulnerable populations. However, research into adaptation has been scarce in terms of analysing power and the politics that in conjunction with socio-economic factors often determine how people in local communities in the Global South respond to climate change. In light of these considerations, the aim of this paper is to contribute to the wider effort to politicize adaptation to climate change research and, as a result, democratize adaptation policy and practice. It is argued that any kind of social vulnerability to climate change is, in essence, political. Once understood as a political process, adaptation should be studied critically by interrogating the local power structures and the resulting political inequalities that determine people's ability to benefit from programmes and projects that aim to facilitate local adaptation. This is necessary if such interventions are to avoid benefitting some while leaving others, and particularly the poor and marginalized, behind. Democratization is seen as a process that must occur (1) between communities and interventions, and (2) within local communities, themselves. The paper concludes with reflections on how democratizing adaptation could function in theory and practice.

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Section: Community-based Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Politicizing vulnerability and adaptation: on the need to democratize local responses to climate impacts in developing countries

Mikulewicz

2017

Climate and Development

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“…There are suggestions in the literature that where activists claim that the formal political processes of government favour elite interests their critique echoes aspects of the theory of post-politics (Chatterton et al, 2013). By articulating such critique, however, activists are to some extent undermining any 'consensus' (for a fuller discussion of the paradoxes of post-politics see Kenis and Lievens, 2014).…”

Section: Organisation At the Cop16: Rejecting The Depoliticised And Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Depoliticised activism? Ambivalence and pragmatism at the COP16

Sealey-Huggins

2016

IJSSP

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the forms of activist organisation at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP16 in Cancún and reveals their attempts to create alternatives to a seemingly “depoliticised” response to climate change. The paper argues that existing attempts to challenge depoliticisation face problems in the form of governmental opposition, limitations on forms of organising, and internal conflicts between activists. Design/methodology/approach This paper utilises “scholar-activist” engagement with actors at alternative “popular” spaces established outside the COP16 in Cancún, Mexico. It draws upon extensive participant observation and in-depth interviews with 20 English-speaking activists. Findings Common among activists was a concern to try and model alternative forms of social relations, to the depoliticised and hierarchical forms found in the formal Conference of Parties, via forms of anarchist-influenced “prefigurative” practice. In spite, or perhaps because, of perceived challenges to attempts to organise their political praxis along non-hierarchical lines, many people were ambivalent about the scope of their action, revealing highly reflexive accounts of the limitations of these whilst simultaneously remaining pragmatic in trying to make the most of their involvement. Originality/value The paper helps us to better understand the potential to politicise climate change. Understanding the challenges faced by activists is important for trying to organise more effective political responses to climate injustice. It is suggested that we must understand activists’ responses to these challenges and limitations in terms of the pragmatism in response that allows them to continue to invest in activism in the face of unsuccessful actions.

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“…Thus, besides the need for the cooperation among governments and institutions that transcends national borders, also individuals have to become active agents in the process. On the other hand, however, individual sustainable consumption is substantially flawed in that it depoliticises the discourse surrounding the pressing environmental issues brought about by consumerism (Kenis & Lievens, 2014). Sustainable consumption, as an embodiment of individualised responsibility, requires individuals to think of themselves first as of consumers obliged to buy more sustainable products, and of citizens able to act together in order to change "the institutional arrangements that drive a pervasive consumerism" -in the second place (Maniates 2002: 51).…”

Section: Political Significance Of Individual Sustainable Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, sustainable consumption is in fact an attempt to preserve the currently existing principles of market economics, except for minor adjustments (Kenis & Lievens 2014: 532). Also the strong emphasis put on the need for cooperation and general participation in the project of sustainable consumption, and simultaneous omission of the conflicts involved, renders sustainable consumption vulnerable to depoliticisation (Kenis & Lievens 2014). Consequently, some argue that individual sustainable consumption should not be recognised as a political or social action leading to a viable social change (Maniates 2002).…”

Section: Political Significance Of Individual Sustainable Consumptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Creativity for sustainable development?

Polynczuk-Alenius

2015

Cultural Science Journal

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Environmental degradation is one of the main challenges facing the modern world.Transition to sustainable development is often cited as a strategy to contain the situation.Arguably, nation-states cannot manage this shift alone. Therefore, individuals are urged to participate in the process of transition to sustainable development by acting sustainably in their capacity as consumers and citizens. Sustainable consumption is an essential way for consumers to contribute to sustainable development. This article examines the roles that the creative input of consumers in the zero-waste brand community on Facebook might play for consumers. The focus is placed on the two theoretical possibilities: manifestation of environmental citizenship and means of self-expression. Drawing on the ideas of individualisation of responsibility and political consumerism, the article explores the creative input of consumers in the zero-waste brand community as a potentially political form of advocacy for sustainable consumption and development. The article concludes that the creative input of consumers in the zero-waste brand community might be viewed as an impact-oriented pro-environmental behaviour, whose role is a combination of manifestation of environmental citizenship and means of self-expression.As such, it fits better with the framework of depoliticised alternative hedonism than political consumerism.

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Searching for ‘the political’ in environmental politics

Cited by 111 publications

References 24 publications

Politicizing vulnerability and adaptation: on the need to democratize local responses to climate impacts in developing countries

Politicizing vulnerability and adaptation: on the need to democratize local responses to climate impacts in developing countries

Depoliticised activism? Ambivalence and pragmatism at the COP16

Creativity for sustainable development?

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