Democracy & the Environment Series VI: Capacity of Democratic Institutions

Democracy & the Environment Series VI: "The capacity of democratic and legal institutions to deliver climate and environmental action"

Co-organised with UCD Dublin European Institute and the UCD Centre for Democracy Research

Climate action and environmental protection are political problems which democratic and legal institutions struggle to solve. This is particularly stark in liberal democracies that aspire to actively engage with the plurality of interests in society and build inclusive coalitions to bring voters along with the huge structural transformations required in the transition to net zero. In this event, Professor Aidan Regan (UCD School of Politics & International Relations) will talk about this ‘trilemma of advanced capitalism’ whereby governments are increasingly faced with a trade-off between economic growth, democracy and addressing the climate emergency. Dr Andrew Jackson (UCD School of Law) will discuss the role of law and legal institutions in delivering climate action. Niamh Garvey from the National Economic and Social Council will reflect on the role of NESC as an independent multi-stakeholder council to advise government and how this can facilitate civil society engagement in policy. Chaired by Professor Imelda Maher, Dublin European Institute.

Biographies

Niamh Garvey

Niamh Garvey is Senior Policy Analyst at the National Economic and Social Council and works in the area of sustainable development and climate action. Niamh was previously the Head of Policy and Advocacy at Trócaire – an Irish international development organisation, working in 17 countries across Africa, Asia and Latin America, where she led a team of policy and advocacy advisors working on climate change, sustainable agriculture, business and human rights and international finance. She held previous roles in research and advocacy at Christian Aid and the Institute of Development Studies and has served as Board Director with a number of NGOs, including Debt and Development Coalition Ireland, Friends of the Earth Ireland and the Fairtrade Mark Ireland. She is a graduate of Durham University and the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex.

Professor Aidan Regan

Aidan Regan is a professor of political economy at the school of politics and international relations at University College Dublin (UCD). He is the principal investigator of a European Research Council (ERC) consolidator project called Democracy Challenged - how corporate tax avoidance fuels the wealth inequalities that undermine democracy. Aidan has published ground-breaking international research on a variety of topics that include the impact of multinational corporate tax avoidance on inequality; the consequences of austerity; the diversity of modern capitalism(s) in Europe; the distribution of wealth and income in Ireland; the effect of unequal access to housing; the determinants of voting behaviour; the transformation of work and social class on social democracy; the politics of industrial relations and welfare reform; tax-avoiding wealth chains in the big tech sector; economic inequality, and the future of capitalist democracy.

Dr Andrew Jackson

Dr Andrew Jackson is Assistant Professor of Environmental Law at UCD and a practising solicitor. Andrew has published widely on climate change and nature conservation law and has been involved in public interest environmental litigation for many years, including before the Irish, English and EU courts. He acted for Friends of the Irish Environment - the successful litigant in "Climate Case Ireland" - before the Supreme Court of Ireland in 2020, and is involved in several ongoing climate cases.

Professor Imelda Maher

Imelda Maher is the Sutherland Full Professor of European Law and Director of the UCD Dublin European Institute. She has published extensively on competition law and EU governance. A Member of the Royal Irish Academy, she is currently Senior Vice-President. An honorary bencher of Middle Temple, London, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Cambridge Centre for European Legal Studies, the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition, Munich and The Institute for Consumer Antitrust Studies, Loyola University, Chicago. In 2022 she was the Senior Emile Noel Global Fellow at New York University School of Law.

About the 'Democracy and the Environment' Seminar Series

The UCD Earth Institute presents the 'Democracy and the Environment Series', a sequence of seminars and discussions focused on the role of democracy and the environment, citizen trust in public institutions, and the sustainability agenda in the context of the local and presidential elections.

This event will be hosted in person at the Museum of Literature Ireland (MoLI) in Dublin, and capacity is limited. Advanced registration is required.

Context: 2024 The Most Important Year for Democracy

2024 is the most significant election year in history. Approximately 60 countries representing more than half of the world's total population will elect their representatives in presidential, legislative and local elections across the globe. From South to North America, across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania, citizens will vote in the most ambitious year for democracy. In many countries, at the centre of the elections, amongst other topics, climate change, sustainability and climate transition will be part of the conversation that will decide the future of each country. The relevance of this year's elections deserves the facilitation of a space to highlight the work of the researchers and connect it with the broader society, including citizens, local authorities, politicians and academia, enabling a space for collaboration and conversation.

Host or Publisher UCD Earth Institute