The Belgian thinker advocates for new forms of participatory democracy to promote more decisive environmental actions without provoking protests from the ‘yellow vests‘ or farmers.
The Huizinga Conference, a prestigious annual lecture on cultural history or philosophy hosted by the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, typically draws up to a thousand attendees. However, the 50th edition held in 2021 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic saw many empty seats at the Gothic Church of Saint Peter. Belgian historian David van Reybrouck’s presentation on colonialism and climate crisis not only became an online success but was also turned into a book titled «The Colonization of the Future», which was translated into French in 2023. In an online interview, van Reybrouck argues that the loss of biodiversity and global warming are forms of colonizing the future, and advocates for new forms of participatory democracy to drive more decisive environmental actions without eliciting protests. He explains the connection between colonialism and climate change, stating that the countries that emit the most greenhouse gases today were once major colonizers, along with China. Van Reybrouck believes that we are colonizing the future by prioritizing short-term interests and financial gains over the long-term health of the planet. He emphasizes the need to decarbonize the economy and argues that actions such as removing problematic statues or changing street names are less effective against colonialism, racism, and discrimination than replacing fossil fuels. He also discusses the link between colonialism and biodiversity loss, highlighting the role of colonial powers in deforestation for monopolistic gains. He points out the challenges in implementing ambitious environmental actions in current democracies, citing the example of citizen assemblies on climate change. These assemblies often propose more far-reaching measures than official national plans, reflecting politicians’ fear of potential protests. Van Reybrouck suggests the development of a «preferendum«, a collective validation tool that allows citizens to approve or disapprove multiple proposals from fellow citizens. He also proposes the use of individual emission credits and fiscal disobedience as potential mechanisms to drive climate action. Lastly, he advocates for the establishment of global citizen assemblies on climate change to address the sluggish international response to the climate crisis.
