CLIMATE change is not only an environmental or scientific problem; it is, at its heart, a social, ethical and political challenge. Dr Chloe Lucas, an environmental social scientist at the University of Tasmania, explores this complexity through her pioneering project, 鈥楬elping Citizens Share Responsibility for Democratic Climate Adaptation,鈥� Funded by the Australian Research Council under its Discovery Early Career Researcher Award scheme, Lucas鈥檚 work examines how democratic processes and civic participation can help societies adapt to climate change in fairer and more effective ways.
At a time when climate responses often come from the top down, led by experts and policymakers, Lucas offers a fresh and transformative approach. She invites ordinary citizens to become active participants in shaping their shared future.
At the core of her research lies a simple but profound question: how can societies share the responsibility of adapting to climate change in ways that are democratic, inclusive, and rooted in lived experience? Traditional models of climate governance often assume that the public lacks the expertise to contribute meaningfully. As a result, solutions are frequently imposed from above, overlooking the local realities, values and capacities that truly define resilience. Lucas challenges this assumption. She begins instead from the belief that adaptation will not succeed unless it draws upon the knowledge, creativity and moral insight of ordinary people.
To explore this, her project uses innovative tools such as game-based deliberation and participatory simulations. In these interactive exercises, participants take on roles 鈥� as citizens, policymakers, or community leaders 鈥� and navigate complex climate dilemmas together. They negotiate trade-offs, allocate resources and face uncertainty in a shared, experimental space. What might have been abstract policy debates become vivid, emotional and deeply human experiences.
Lucas鈥檚 use of play and simulation reflects her conviction that climate adaptation is as much a cultural process as a scientific one. Play fosters creativity and empathy; it breaks down barriers between experts and citizens and encourages people to see issues through one another鈥檚 eyes. Her research shows that, through these participatory experiences, people begin to view themselves not as passive recipients of government policy but as co-creators of resilience. This shift, from dependence to shared responsibility, lies at the heart of democratic climate governance.
Her participatory model also highlights a crucial truth: climate adaptation is deeply political. Policies that aim to protect society often distribute their costs and benefits unevenly. Marginalised communities, already vulnerable, are too often asked to bear the heaviest burdens. By engaging participants from diverse backgrounds 鈥� across age, gender, income and geography 鈥� Lucas鈥檚 project shines a light on these inequalities. It exposes how history, economics and trust in institutions shape people鈥檚 experience of climate vulnerability. In Lucas鈥檚 view, democratic adaptation must be both inclusive and reflexive, always asking who gets to speak, who gets to decide and who stands to gain.
Australia provides a telling backdrop for her research. The country鈥檚 climate debates have long been polarised, with adaptation efforts split between local, state and federal levels. Lucas situates her work in this contested landscape, arguing that democratic participation can bridge the gap between policy frameworks and the realities of everyday life. Yet her insights travel far beyond Australia, resonating strongly with developing nations like Bangladesh, where climate vulnerability is not only physical but deeply social.
Bangladesh, among the most climate-affected countries in the world, faces a dual challenge: strengthening technical adaptation measures like flood control and cyclone preparedness while also building community-based resilience. Here, Lucas鈥檚 approach offers a crucial lesson, adaptation that excludes public participation risks worsening inequalities and eroding trust. The idea of shared responsibility feels particularly relevant in Bangladesh, where grassroots mobilisation and collective action have long shaped disaster response. A democratic approach to adaptation could build on these traditions, empowering citizens to help shape the policies that safeguard their lives and livelihoods.
Lucas鈥檚 thinking is grounded in environmental sociology and democratic theory. She sees adaptation as a collective moral practice, a way for societies to negotiate their obligations to one another and to future generations. Her work challenges the technocratic belief that climate change can be solved by experts alone. Instead, she draws on the principles of deliberative democracy, echoing scholars such as John Dryzek, Elinor Ostrom and Sheila Jasanoff, who champion shared governance and co-produced knowledge.
One of Lucas鈥檚 most original contributions is her focus on the emotional and relational side of adaptation. She argues that people鈥檚 willingness to take responsibility is shaped not just by logic or data but by feelings 鈥� empathy, trust, fear and hope. By creating spaces where these emotions can be expressed and shared, participatory games build the foundations of social cohesion. This challenges the idea that public engagement should be purely informational. Instead, it shows that belonging, fairness and a sense of agency are essential ingredients of democratic resilience.
From a policy perspective, Lucas鈥檚 work offers practical guidance for governments seeking to involve the public more meaningfully. Her findings suggest that when participatory mechanisms are designed with sensitivity to local culture and capacity, they can make adaptation both more effective and legitimate. Policymakers, she argues, should not see citizens as obstacles but as essential partners, people who can help identify priorities, test ideas and hold institutions accountable. Shared ownership of the process, she notes, is what sustains adaptation over time.
Her work also prompts a deeper reflection: what does democracy mean in an age of ecological crisis? Some argue that the urgency of climate change demands swift, centralised action. Lucas disagrees. She shows that participation and speed can coexist, that well-designed democratic processes can, in fact, produce consensus and action faster than authoritarian ones, precisely because they build trust. In this way, democracy itself becomes a form of resilience: a living system that learns and adapts through dialogue.
Seen in full, 鈥楬elping Citizens Share Responsibility for Democratic Climate Adaptation鈥� weaves together empirical research and ethical reflection. It bridges sociology, political science, and psychology to illuminate how social values and democratic institutions respond under pressure. Its innovative use of games, as both research and learning tools, offers a model that others can adapt around the world. By making climate decisions visible and experiential, Lucas transforms abstract governance into shared understanding.
Her broader work on climate communication complements this project. She has examined how people interpret environmental messages differently, depending on their cultural identities and levels of trust in authority. Lucas argues that storytelling, trust and emotion often move people more deeply than facts alone, a crucial insight for anyone trying to inspire collective climate action.
For countries like Bangladesh, where adaptation is not just policy but a moral necessity, Lucas鈥檚 ideas open up a new path. Her approach could inspire community simulations, citizen assemblies, or participatory planning games to deliberate over issues such as land use, migration, and resource management. By giving people a direct voice in shaping their own adaptation strategies, such initiatives could make those strategies more just, more durable, and more humane.
Ultimately, Dr Chloe Lucas鈥檚 work redefines what it means to adapt to climate change in democratic societies. She invites us to see responsibility not as a burden handed down from above, but as a shared commitment, built through empathy, dialogue and imagination.
At a time when trust in institutions is fragile and climate politics are bitterly divided, her research offers a message of hope: that democracy itself can be an instrument of resilience. When adaptation is pursued collectively, it becomes more than mere survival, it becomes an act of solidarity and shared humanity.
For Bangladesh, and indeed, for the world, this vision of democratic adaptation provides both a moral compass and a practical roadmap for navigating the uncertainties of a changing planet.
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Dr Matiur Rahman is a researcher and development professional.