6 Conclusion
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With no faith in ‘‘the people,’’ but much in the likelihood of enlightened
rulers, environmental political theory might echo an earlier generation’s call
for authoritarian solutions. Conversely, with unquestioned faith in ‘‘the
people,’’ environmental political theory could argue unXinchingly for the
removal of all restraints upon popular rule. Neither seems likely. In between
these poles, the great work of contemporary environmental political theory is
to grapple with the relative merits of a wide variety of potential strategies for
reconciling forms of democracy and environmentalism. Among these are
arguments for deliberation, environmental education, scientiWc authority,
or constitutional limitation as strategies for tempering environmentally
destructive actions; for empowering those most vulnerable to, or most
aVected by, environmental harms to ensure their voices and votes count;
for shifting the decision-making between the private and public—to ensure
that collective goods can be adequately expressed and narrowly self-interested
preferences are not privileged—or conversely to preclude narrow political
calculation in favor of enlightened local knowledge.
The pressing democratic challenges outlined in the last paragraph are not
particularly new. Other challenges have attained prominence primarily as a
result of an accelerated process of globalization. Among these are the
shifting role of the nation state as a locus for democratic citizenship;
growing possibilities for participation in global civil society; the increas-
ingly apparent global impact of local consumption in the First World and
among Third World elites; and the growing separation of social and
economic policy from popular inXuence in many nation states. A number
of prominent new books tackle just these challenges (e.g. Eckersley 2004 ;
Dobson 2003 ; Paehlke 2003 ).
Construed in this manner, the question of democracy’s relationship to
environmental concern is a multifaceted one that admits of no easy, self-
congratulatory answers in the writings of environmental political theory.
Yet it also appears central and unavoidable. If so, then attention to this
relationship might also strengthen environmental political theory’s ability
to connect with the popular practices that will then be at the center of our
attention.
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