Capacities for More Effective Long-Term Climate Change Governance

The mismatch between the timescales of climate change and the action frameworks of public institutions undermines global governance with profound implications for the prospects for human prosperity on a changing Earth. Effective and responsible governance requires identifying and cultivating a set of capacities, tools, and institutions that better align decision-making and action time horizons with those of the Earth system. CAMELOT addresses this gap by introducing a groundbreaking theory of long-term governance capacities, centered on imagination as the core enabler of long-term learning, risk assessment, and inter-temporal agency. By integrating insights from Earth system science and governance, futures studies, and cognitive science, CAMELOT studies which methods at the science-policy-society interface can cultivate these capacities most effectively across diverse governance scales and contexts.The project employs two innovative empirical approaches. First, it systematically evaluates six methods of science-policy-society engagement, such as scenario development and assessment reports, to determine their effectiveness in enhancing long-term governance capacities. Second, it pioneers a cutting-edge science-policy engagement exercise, testing its impacts on long-term governance capacities among climate policymakers across scales (multilateral, national, local). Seizing the opportunity of an opening policy window, all empirical work will focus on the issue of climate tipping points.The project advances theoretical debates on effective governance, intertemporal agency, and science-policy-society relations in an era of long-term environmental and socio-political risks. These insights have broad applicability in domains such as biodiversity conservation, genetic modification, and artificial intelligence. CAMELOT’s findings will shape the design of future governance institutions, equipping them with tools and abilities to address the risks of the Anthropocene.