ABSTRACT
Global deliberative democracy as developed by (among others) Bohman (2007) and Dryzek (2006), then applied to environmental affairs by Baber and Bartlett (2009), involves application of ideas drawn from the theory and practice of deliberative democracy to global governance. As such it seeks to redeem the promise of green democracy at the global level. Deliberative democracy rests on the idea that democratic legitimacy depends on the right, capacity, and opportunity of those subject to a collective decision (or their representatives) to participate in consequential deliberation about the content of that decision. Deliberation in turn is a particular form of communication that involves mutual justification of and reflection upon the reasons for collective actions, though it is also open to a range of communications such as rhetoric and testimony, not just argument. Participants should strive to make sense to those who do not share their conceptual framework. So, for example, supporters of deep ecology should endeavor to reach those who subscribe to business-friendly versions of sustainable development such as liberal environmentalism or ecological modernization. Deliberative democratic ideas are more applicable to global politics than conventional approaches to democracy that emphasize elections, which are currently hard to envisage being organized at the global level. The principles of deliberative democracy can be used to both evaluate existing practices such as treaty negotiations (normally a long way from the ideal) and inform prescriptions for institutional arrangements such as citizen forums and more informal practices such as the engagement of environmental nongovernmental organizations with each other and with established centers of power.
