Power Dynamics in Resisting Autocratization in Polarized Societies: The Role of Climate Change

Climate change is rapidly reshaping the global political landscape, exacerbating existing inequalities, and creating new opportunities for democratic consolidation and authoritarian rule. This panel explores how complex interrelationships among power structures, climate change, and democratic decline play out in a polarized context.
Autocratic leaders often take advantage of crises caused by climate change to strengthen their control, influence public opinion, and legitimize authoritarian actions in the name of national security and economic stability. This panel will analyze how climate-induced crises exacerbate pre-existing disparities in power, undermine democratic institutions, and create favorable conditions for autocratic governments. We will examine specific cases where climate change has contributed to democratic backsliding and examine how climate-related challenges strain democratic governance, decreasing trust in institutions and increasing susceptibility to populist and authoritarian rhetoric.
In contrast, the panel will discuss how resistance movements, often based on climate justice, can be used to oppose authoritarian government and construct more resilient democracies. Topics will include the role of independent environmental agencies and media in limiting the abuse of climate-related power, the impact of grassroots environmental movements and civil society activism in reclaiming democratic space, and the role of international organisations and regional alliances in strengthening democratic resilience.
By exploring power struggles among polarised cultures through the prism of climate change, the panel hopes to shed light on the complex efforts required to combat autocracy, protect democratic governance, and address important environmental concerns.
This will ultimately help to deepen an understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with fighting autocratic tendencies within the context of climate change and underline their interrelation as global challenges.
This panel invites participants to engage in a rich and dynamic dialogue on the critical issues at the intersection of climate change, power, and democracy by bringing together leading experts from various domains.