The Politics of the Environment: Ideas, Activism, Policy, 2nd Edition

THEORY

3.9 Ecological citizenship

Andrew Dobson ( 2003 ) argues that ecological

citizenship is a particular form of post-

cosmopolitan, non-territorial citizenship, which

stresses responsibilities rather than rights, and

regards those responsibilities as non-reciprocal

rather than contractual, thereby contrasting with

traditional liberal and civic republican notions of

citizenship obligations. For him, ecological

citizenship has four defining characteristics:

1. It is non-territorial. Conventional notions of
   citizenship are located within the nation
   state, but because many environmental
   problems are international and do not
   respect national boundaries, ecological
   citizens have to operate both within and
   beyond the state.


2. It takes place in both the public and the
   private realms. Citizenship is traditionally
   concerned with the way individuals behave
   in the public sphere, but the private acts
   associated with day-to-day lifestyles have
   public implications (by contributing to
   environmental degradation), so ecological

citizenship must encompass the private

realm.

3. It is associated with virtues that enable
   citizens to meet their obligations; in
   particular, the social justice needed to
   ensure a just distribution of ecological
   space, whilst care (and compassion) is
   required for the effective exercise of justice.


4. It involves a range of non-contractual
   responsibilities – notably an obligation to
   ensure that our ecological footprints are
   sustainable – that are owed to strangers
   near and far (including future generations),
   but without any expectation that they will be
   reciprocated.

Dobson’s model of ecological citizenship has

attracted a number of criticisms, such as for

using the nebulous notion of ‘post-

cosmopolitan’ citizenship and over who is

eligible to be an ecological citizen. For greater

detail, see the exchange between Dobson

(2006) and Hayward (2006a, b)in

Environmental Politics, vol. 15, no. 3.

been informed by contributions from different ideological traditions. This

infusion of ideas raises questions about the distinctiveness of ecologism and

its relationship with other political traditions.

◗ Traditional political ideologies and the

green challenge

Ecologism is an ideology built on two main ideas: a reconceptualisation of

the human–nature relationship away from strong anthropocentrism and an

acceptance of the idea of limits to growth. It draws its subsidiary principles,

such as participatory democracy, decentralisation and social justice, from

other political traditions, but the relationship is not all one way. Ideas devel-

oped by ecologism have begun to influence established political ideologies.

So, whereas the first part of this chapter showed how ecologism has given

agreen slant to concepts borrowed from other traditions, this second part

shows how those other traditions have responded to the challenge posed

byecologism. The discussion starts with those political traditions based

on individualism and a belief in social order – conservatism, liberalism,