As people and ecosystems confront escalating environmental challenges, there is a growing recognition of local stakeholders' pivotal role in decision-making processes. This international conference seeks to explore how local institutional mechanisms and political mobilizations shape green transitions. It asks: What is the interplay between environmental democracy and the pursuit of green transitions efforts worldwide? Which constellations of actors can be observed and how do they map onto decentralised institutional environments?
The conference seeks to include case studies from the global North and South, which are impacted differently by climate change and environmental degradation. The cross-context and transnational perspective it proposes to adopt will unpack contrasting discourses of development, environment and transitions.
Contributions will explore questions such as:
- How have local environmental movements articulated issues of green transition and environmental justice? Which issues have been foregrounded by young people and which modes of mobilisations have they been using?
- How have legal frameworks and institutional mechanisms for local environmental democracy evolved within federal or decentralized political systems?
- How do scales and levels of governance play out in policies and instruments that have been set up to foster green transitions?
- What are the drivers and the obstacles to green transitions? What does the term elicit, in terms of mobilisation and policy innovations and responses?
- What are transnational articulations of institutional mechanisms and political mobilisations?
The conference aims to bring together scholars from a range of disciplines (including political science, anthropology, sociology, legal studies, environmental studies, history, economics). It is organised by Christine Lutringer (Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy, Geneva Graduate Institute) and Rusha Das (Indian Institute of Management - IIM Bangalore) with the support of the Leading House South Asia and Iran, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, and in collaboration with the research project “Youth Climate Activism and Local Institutions: Reframing Democratic Spaces at a Time of Polarisation”.
The conference is open to interested students, researchers, experts, civil servants and activists.
As space is limited, places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
The venue and other logistical information will be communicated in the confirmation email.