Including the more-than-human in decision making

Stories from around the world about worsening climate change, and the deepening degradation of nature are mainstays of news bulletins and weather forecasts. At the same time, high-profile processes like the Paris Agreement and government commitments seem to be failing to make a noticeable mark.

In recent decades, there has been increasing recognition of the need to involve the more-than-human in decision making. Around the world, communities and organisations are taking truly radical actions, not only to protect the planet, but to transform how people relate to the natural world. In this sense, they are doing more than providing hope that the climate, nature and biodiversity crises we are facing may be abated. Rather, they are enabling us to imagine what our worlds would look like if all animals and the natural world were truly included in the decisions that are shaping how we live.

This way of working has practical implications for decision making which, to be democratic, needs to take seriously the interests of all who are affected.

In this project we will be working together to:

• Create an inventory of existing methods, approaches, and their impact, taking a curious and critical lens to understanding this emerging field.
• Conduct two original experiments on more-than-human inclusion in decision making. The first experiment will involve adaptation planning in Australia, and the second, a climate or biodiversity citizens’ assembly in Europe. The objective is to test how different models of more-than-human inclusion can be put into practice in real world decision-making contexts, and to evaluate their impacts on participants, processes, and decisions.
• Support a global community of practice to connect practitioners, and share knowledge and learning across continents. The community of practice will offer those conducting similar experiments in different contexts a platform for sharing experiences and learning, with a view to supporting and elevating the quality of practice across the field.

Professor Danielle Celermajer, University of Sydney, says, “This project takes the theory from a speculative stage into practical application and then testing it using the methodologies of the social sciences.”

We are looking to work with a climate or biodiversity citizens’ assembly taking place in Europe during 2026/ 2027. If you are involved in or know of an assembly taking place that might be interested in partnering with us, please contact Danielle.

This project has been generously supported by the V. Kann Rasmussen Foundation.