Commentary: Crisis is danger plus opportunity

• Main Author: FLORINI, Ann
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2011
• Subjects: Political Science; Social Influence and Political Communication
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soss_research/2088; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soss_research/article/3345/viewcontent/Commentary_Crisis_is_Danger_Plus_Opportunity__1_.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

John Clark has given us a great deal to be depressed about, in the story he tells about theroles of civil society in addressing the compelling threats of climate change and ecosystemcollapse. Fortunately, that account is incomplete. There is another half to the story, onethat provides a more hopeful picture. Indeed, a closer look at what is happening in thecivil society/environmental arena tells us much about humanity’s prospects for dealingwith climate change. It tells us even more about the rapidly evolving nature of civilsociety and humanity’s capacity for creative collective action. And from both perspectives,the glass, rather than being empty—or full—could hardly be more evenly divided.