Eckersley, Robyn, 2004. The Green State. Rethinking Democracy and Sovereignty. Cambridge: MIT Press
The „new“ state? – green instead of liberal
The main idea is a version of a „good state“ characterised as a green democratic state which constitutes an alternative to the classical liberal state; or, in other words, a democratic state with ecological instead of liberal democracy, a postliberal state. The role of this future nation-state is mainly the management of ecological problems. Tools or features used to solve those problems are ecological citizenship and environmental governance. This means concretely, for example, that the state acts as an “ecological steward” and as a facilitator of transboundary democracy - keeping in mind the global dimension of ecological problems (global lenses necessary) – in order to achieve goals like sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem integrity.
The „new“ state? – green instead of liberal
The main idea is a version of a „good state“ characterised as a green democratic state which constitutes an alternative to the classical liberal state; or, in other words, a democratic state with ecological instead of liberal democracy, a postliberal state. The role of this future nation-state is mainly the management of ecological problems. Tools or features used to solve those problems are ecological citizenship and environmental governance. This means concretely, for example, that the state acts as an “ecological steward” and as a facilitator of transboundary democracy - keeping in mind the global dimension of ecological problems (global lenses necessary) – in order to achieve goals like sustainable livelihoods and ecosystem integrity.
Although it is necessary to “go beyond the state” when coping with environmental problems in a globalising world, the state cannot be excluded from this undertaking. So the issue at hand is not the abandonment of the state but rather its re-invention away from its no longer fitting traditional role. Its role in world and domestic affairs, its capacity of being the site of social and political power by having the means of legitimate coercion and its special role because of the concept of state sovereignty make the state a crucial node in any future network of global ecological governance. The state has to be included but transformed! Green transformations are state-dependent!
Kathrin

