This Wednesday, the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies hosted the authors of “Children of Modest Star” at the International Affairs Building. They discussed how a new governance framework could help nations tackle planetary issues more effectively. 

On October 23, authors Nils Gilman and Jonathan Blake visited Columbia University to discuss their book Children of a Modest Star at a book event hosted by the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies. In their book, Gilman and Blake critique the prevailing perspectives on humanity’s relationship with the planet and the political structures that govern our Earth. Instead, they present a novel framework for governance—planetary subsidiarity, a principle that allocates authority over issues to the smallest possible governance unit, thereby promoting local decision-making. 

The book talk was hosted by Jack Snyder, a Member of the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies, with guest speakers Leah Aronowsky, an Assistant Professor of Climate at the Climate School, and David Helfand, a Professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics. 

The event opened with Blake and Nils sharing what spurred the book’s inception. The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light a fundamental flaw in global governance. Several countries retreated to nationalist policy responses and closed borders—policies that ultimately failed to be effective in the face of a burgeoning pandemic. This prompted Gilman and Blake to wonder, “How can we rethink governance?”

At present, planetary institutions like the United Nations act at the broadest level. However, as per Gilman and Blake, the tension between the priorities of such global institutions and the needs of local actors weakens their ability to create meaningful change—both environmental and otherwise.

To counter this, Gilman and Blake discussed the concept of planetary subsidiarity—a governance framework wherein problems are dealt with at the smallest scale. While events like COVID-19 and climate change are global in scale, their effects are felt most locally. Gilman and Blake suggested that creating a trans-local governance framework that promotes cooperation between governing sub-units across countries would help them adapt more effectively to local challenges.

However, the fact that such a system would completely upheave current democracy arose as a point of contention during the event. Aronowsky suggested that perhaps such an idea was too long-term a solution for urgent issues like climate change. She instead expressed that more democracy, rather than less, would be the solution to the aforementioned global problems. 

After much discussion and Q&A, the consensus was that the world truly needs to rethink democracy in a non-human-centric way. For too long, the Earth has been treated as a backdrop to decision-making, with its habitability taken for granted as a precondition of Western political thought. Instead, the emphasis must shift towards prioritizing multi-species relationships, recognizing the interconnectedness of all life forms in sustaining a habitable planet. Perhaps embracing a new form of governance is critical to realizing this vision.

“Children of Modest Star” via Berggruen Institute