Democratic backtracking and climate issues: an ERC for a better understanding of the situation

The excellence of Patrick Meyfroidt's research into land-use transitions on our planet has attracted the attention of the European Research Council. With this ERC Advanced Grant, the specialist will analyse the impact of the decline in democracy on land use and on the implementation of solutions to the challenges of climate, biodiversity and of the environment. 

Professor Patrick Meyfroidt, Senior Research Fellow F.R.S.-FNRS at the Earth and Life Institute of UCLouvain and Professor at the School of Geography, has just been awarded an ERC Advanced Grant, one of the most prestigious fellowships awarded by the European Research Council. 

This grant rewards top-level scientists for their innovative research and long-term vision. It will enable Patrick Meyfroidt to continue and expand his work on land use transition in an increasingly globalised world.

Geographer by profession, with degrees in sociology and human ecology, Patrick Meyfroidt has been studying the links between human activities, agriculture, forests and environmental sustainability for many years. 

His research aims to answer a crucial question: how can we make better use of the planet's land surfaces while respecting ecological limits and human needs?

In particular, he has studied forest transitions (how certain regions become forested again after having been deforested), the impact of international trade on deforestation, and the way in which global supply chains (such as for cocoa) influence local agricultural practices.

Does a step backwards for democracy mean a step backwards for the environment?

Thanks to this new ERC Grant, he will have the opportunity to pursue his research into the links between land use and the dynamics of democratic decline. Democratic backsliding, i.e. the decline or degradation of the institutions and social norms that underpin democratic societies, is a trend that takes many forms across many regions of the world (authoritarianism, populism, decline in the rule of law, etc.), and its links with sustainability issues remain largely unexplored.

Patrick Meyfroidt's aim with this fellowship is to gain a better understanding of how processes of democratic backsliding exacerbate tensions over land use and prevent the implementation of solutions to climate, biodiversity and environmental issues; and how the pressures associated with environmental degradation and the policies implemented to tackle it can be used to fuel democratic backsliding. 

The project will be based on approaches combining qualitative studies, fieldwork and spatial and quantitative analyses. The project will focus in particular on three cases:

• reactionary and agrarianist forces (which emphasise the importance of agriculture and rural life) in rural areas in Europe, 
• extractive populism in the expansion frontiers of northern Canada, and
• agrarian authoritarianism in family farming landscapes in Mozambique.

This European recognition acknowledges a remarkable career and an essential research at a time when issues relating to the environment, food and the future of forests are more critical than ever.

This article was originally written in French by the AREC team of UCLouvain. It is available to be read here.