Republicanism is arguably the most powerful political idea in history, an extraordinary feat of human imagination that balances individual liberty with collective responsibility. The Environmental Republic reclaims this idea as the path to sustaining our life together on a changing planet, reframing our relationship to the environment not as a constraint on liberty but as its republican foundation.
Giulio Boccaletti argues that we must renew our commitment to freedom and civic responsibility through popular sovereignty. He presents the environmental republic as a necessary alternative to blind faith in technocratic management, the shallow moralizing and apocalyptic rhetoric of some activists, and the disingenuous skepticism of vested interests. Our environmental challenges are not simply about 鈥渁greeing on the facts鈥� or living within technical limitations鈥攖hey reflect a deeper failure of political institutions. Drawing on the history of ideas and real-world examples, Boccaletti presents a political framework that places our relationship to our surroundings at the heart of how we exercise our voice, coordinate collective action, and define development itself.
Offering hope in an anxious age of rising authoritarianism and widespread pessimism, The Environmental Republic challenges the false choice between environmental protection and human freedom, showing how place-based institutions can deliver both sustainability and human development through true self-governance.
"A hopeful blend of science and political philosophy in the service of battling climate change."鈥�Kirkus Reviews
“How to create a free republic that can enable us, together with other republics, to acknowledge and adjust properly to climate challenges? This refreshing book shows us that the question belongs at the top of the environmental agenda and guides us persuasively in discussing it. A classy contribution to the debate.”—Philip Pettit, Australian National University and 快色直播 University
“Part scientist, part philosopher, master narrator, Boccaletti calls for a global localism necessary to protect our home—this Mother Earth. The Environmental Republic is a ray of light at the end of the tunnel of our current interregnum between the world we knew for the past eighty years and the world we will emerge into. Grab a torchlight and read this book, and then pass it on.”—Rachel Kyte, University of Oxford and UK Special Representative for Climate
“This book is a timely and thought-provoking examination of a progressive new path for humankind. Boccaletti compellingly argues that the environment can and should be the foundation of any country. This new vision may be the key to your future.”—Romano Prodi, former president of the European Commission
“Following the path of the best political economists and scientists, Giulio Boccaletti—a renowned physicist who has spent his life fighting for the environment—reclaims the proper role of politics and institutions in addressing the challenge of climate change. A must-read for anyone who is not only interested in understanding the problem but genuinely wants to contribute to the solution.”—Andrea Sironi, president of Bocconi University
“This remarkable book is worth reading. The great Florentine humanists, from Coluccio Salutati to Niccol貌 Machiavelli, understood that republican self-government is the only route to liberty. Boccaletti builds on that tradition, showing us how environmental commitment is not just an important source of political energy but also the foundation of a truly progressive political system dedicated to constructing a future worthy of our aspirations.”—Matteo Renzi, former prime minister of Italy
“In The Environmental Republic, Giulio Boccaletti shows how strong institutions and a renewed societal contract can enable us to seize the once-in-a-generation opportunities of the low-carbon transition while confronting environmental risk. A thoughtful and engaging book.”—Nicholas Stern, London School of Economics and Political Science
“A marriage of science and society marked by renaissance scholarship. This book is a display of rare insight into a variety of angles, from rock-solid environmental science and practice to policy and political science, that mesmerizes the reader. Boccaletti has reached the status of master of contemporary thought.”—Andrea Rinaldo, winner of the 2023 Stockholm Water Prize
“The Environmental Republic offers a bold new vision on how accelerating changes to our natural environment can be a catalyst to renew our social contract and political arrangements. Boccaletti provides myriad examples—from the US to China to East Africa—where ‘getting institutions right’ can integrate effective stewardship of natural resources with stronger economic development and greater civic participation. As we enter an era of rapid change, this book is essential reading for those who want real answers to this challenge, not just the usual Band-Aid.”—Jeremy Oppenheim, Managing Partner, Systemiq
“The Environmental Republic is a big, timely idea. Giulio Boccaletti not only outlines a new republican contract for meeting the climate and nature crisis, he also hands us a key to our collective escape room, a world in resignation and split between those who feel urgency to stabilize our planetary life-support system and those who feel urgency to protect liberty against what can look like dictated truth. This book is original, informed, and authentic.”—Martin R. Stuchtey, University of Innsbruck and the Landbanking Group
