Interdependencies between societies and nature in democratic innovations for the ecological transition in the context of the New Green Deal - the case of the H2020 Phoenix Project

Abstract

Based on the experience of participating in the European project “PHOENIX: the rise of citizens’ voices for a Greener Europe,” this article proposes an innovative approach to integrating the voices of nature into deliberative and participatory processes as part of the Ecological Transition outlined by the European Green Deal. Challenging conventional views that have historically relegated non-humans to a marginal position in political debates, the proposal to integrate representatives of nature into democratic processes reflects a broader vision, morally recognising nonhumans as legitimate participants in the political sphere. In this regard, the need for a model of discursive citizenship is highlighted, one that is pluralistic, reflective, and transnational, promoting interspecies communication as an essential part of ecological transformation.