Talk: the Dilemma of Climate Democracy

Climate change is a European reality. Europe has set ambitious climate targets, including reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030 relative to 1990 levels. In any event, the question remains whether these targets will be met in time to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Opinions diverge on tackling the problem and speeding up climate action.

While some propose new institutional forms of public consultation to circumvent political inactivity, others believe it is necessary to act more quickly. In her writings and speeches, Turkish journalist and author, Ece Temelkuran, emphasizes the urgent need for global action to address this existential threat to humanity. During this programme, the following question will be examined: can we save the planet without breaking the system? Temelkuran will talk about this subject with Eva Rovers (Dutch author and cultural historian) and Clare Farrell (UK, co-founder of Extinction Rebellion).

At the programme's start, Loes Damhof will guide the audience through an interactive thought experiment. Based on the principles of Futures Literacy - a capability developed by UNESCO - the audience and panellists will explore multiple futures and identify their assumptions on democracy and agency. Reframed based on those assumptions they are invited to view the debate through a different lens. What does agency mean when we question our assumptions? With This quick democratic flex is followed by Ece Temelkuran's keynote address and the successive panel discussion with Eva Rovers and Clare Farell.

This talk is co-organised together with De Balie.

Watch back the talk: the Dilemma of Climate Democracy:

Ece Temelkuran is a prominent Turkish journalist, author, and political commentator known for her critical perspective on the politics of Turkey and the wider Middle East region. Temelkuran has been an active commentator on climate change and its impact on societies around the world. In her writings and speeches, she emphasizes the urgent need for global action to address this existential threat to humanity.

Eva Rovers is a Dutch writer and cultural historian. She is also the co-founder of Bureau Burgerberaad. In her most recent book Nu is het aan ons’ – Oproep tot echte democratie (Now it’s up to us - Call for real democracy), she passionately argues for not leaving politics exclusively to politicians. The multifaceted problems of the 21st century require a multifaceted approach, and citizen assemblies are ideal for that.

Clare Farrell is an active citizen, devoting her creativity, her energy, and occasionally her personal liberty, to fight against climate collapse and the wider environmental crisis. As one of the co-founders of Extinction Rebellion her work to date has included coordinating the creative team that delivered the name, identity, and messaging that the movement set out in 2018, co-editing the bestselling book, This is Not a Drill, and now works with the UK media team and acts as a spokesperson.

Loes Damhof was elected as Lecturer of the Year of all higher education in the Netherlands in 2016, and decided to use the Comenius Grant to further advance the skill of Futures Literacy. In short, Futures Literacy invites us to use different conceptions and ideas about the future as lenses for interpreting, understanding and seeing anew our world and ourselves in it in the present. In 2018, Loes received the UNESCO Chair on Futures Literacy in Higher Education at Hanze University of Applied Sciences.

In addition to her research and teaching practices, Damhof consults and trains staff of global organizations such as FutureWomenX, UNESCO, UNFCCC, ClimateKIC, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies and Oxfam. Over the years, she and her team have set the golden standard for training and teaching Futures Literacy. Currently, she is building The Emergence Academy; a school for activism that fosters a new attitude towards complexity, and uncertainty applied to a wide range of societal domains.

The 4th edition of the Forum on European Culture focuses on the meaning and future of democracy in Europe. Since the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it has become more and more clear that democracy is no longer an abstract self-evidence, but a fragile construction under pressure. How does Europe deal with technological developments, its history of colonialism, imperialism, and autocratic influences? And if Europe wants to be a democracy, what actions are needed? The Forum brings together artists, activists, and intellectuals to explore democracy as a cultural rather than a political expression. That fits our mission of developing and supporting initiatives in a culture that let us share, experience, and imagine Europe, to facilitate a European sense of belonging.