We have seen alarming democratic backsliding in recent decades, with a rise in populism and polarisation. Climate change places yet another strain on democracies. To date, policymakers in democracies have struggled to design equitable and effective climate policies, exposing citizens to increasingly dangerous climate risks. At the same time, perceived unjust climate policies can lead to societal backlash and democratic discontent.

Academic research on climate change, climate policy, and democracy has so far provided disparate understanding. The central question of this project is: 'how can the risks that both climate policy inaction and climate policy action pose to democratic governance in Europe be overcome?' The aim is to analyse a series of democratic innovations in practice in Europe (deliberation, knowledge-exchange, and integrated policymaking) and to identify, through a mixed-methods approach, the potential of these democratic innovations for creating democratic resilience.