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Political Science Democracy

Public Deliberation on Climate Change

Lessons from Alberta Climate Dialogue

edited by Lorelei L. Hanson

contributions by David Kahane

Publisher
Athabasca University Press
Initial publish date
Feb 2018
Category
Democracy, Global Warming & Climate Change
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781771992176
    Publish Date
    Feb 2018
    List Price
    $34.99

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Description

There exists in both academic and political circles a growing interest in public deliberation as an alternative to the sometimes adversarial and polarizing public engagement activities that result in the pitting of experts against lay people. Proponents of public deliberation claim that a more deliberative process can engage a diversity of participants in a more guided process that better balances expert knowledge and citizen inclusion. Such an approach holds particular promise where citizens and governments engage in discussions of the most complex and intractable issues like climate change.

 

Given the host of challenges climate governance presents and the global consequences of our response to them, the experience and knowledge shared by Hanson and the contributors to Public Deliberation on Climate Change provide an important framework for advancing public conversations and processes on this and other wicked problems. The lessons contained in the volume were gained as a result of a five year multidisciplinary, community, university research project called Alberta Climate Dialogue (ABCD), which drew together scholars, practitioners, citizens, civil society members, and government officials from across Alberta at four public deliberations. By highlighting the value tensions and trade-offs and examining the impact that the design of the deliberations has on policy and the creation of conditions that encourage exchange, the contributors aim to build capacity within our institutions and society to find new ways to discuss and solve complex problems.

About the authors

Lorelei L. Hanson is an associate professor and academic coordinator of environmental studies at Athabasca University.

Lorelei L. Hanson's profile page

David Kahane is a professor of political science at the University of Alberta, specializing in democratic theory and practice He was also the principal investigator and projector director of Alberta Climate Dialogue (2010-2016).

David Kahane's profile page