Democracy in Retreat and the Climate Crisis: Challenges Strategies for Adaptation an Evolving Political Landscape

This volume sheds light on the complex global landscape of autocracy's ascent and its profound impact on climate change response. Split into three sections, the book discusses pathways leading to the global rise of autocracies. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, the first section presents the conceptual framework surrounding the surge of autocracy and the erosion of democracy. It investigates diverse facets such as dictatorship, authoritarianism, populist movements, and the nuances of 'restricted' and 'good' democracies. In the second section, the focus shifts to the root causes and the worldwide propagation of autocracy and democracy backsliding. It analyzes the challenges these trends pose for a sustainable future, a topic rarely explored from a multidisciplinary perspective. The book engages with critical discussions on green authoritarianism, the erosion of social capital through political entrepreneurship, and the authoritarian politics of climate change. The third section examines the impact of eroding democracy on the natural environment and the sustainability concerns during the climate change era as viewed through a humanities lens. For scholars, students, policymakers, and activists in fields such as autocracy, democracy, political sociology, international relations, and sustainability, this book provides invaluable insights into our evolving world. It presents strategies to navigate climate change adaptation in a changing, less democratic world. This volume sheds light on the complex global landscape of democracy weakening and autocracy strengthening, along with their profound impact on the response to the climate crisis. The book is divided into three sections and adopts a multidisciplinary approach. The first section examines various pathways of global democracy erosion and autocracy growth, including challenges posed by voters, politicians, unelected officials, and climate skeptics. In the second section, the focus shifts to climate change politics in a divided world, investigating the challenges political polarization poses to a sustainable future. The chapters cover key topics, such as energy security, responses to environmental disasters, environmental sustainability, sustainable development, and human rights. The impact of eroding democracy on the natural environment and the sustainability concerns during the climate change era is explored in the third section, viewed through a rarely used humanities lens. Studies on pro-climatic national symbols, ecofeminism, eco-justice, and the Sustainable Development Goals ante litteram provide the context for this final section. This book offers invaluable insights into our evolving world. For scholars, students, policymakers, and activists in fields such as autocracy, democracy, politics of climate change, political sociology, international relations, and sustainability, it presents strategies to navigate climate change adaptation in a rapidly changing, less democratic world.