Are demands for democratic equality that privilege humanity over other creatures, appropriate to the climate emergency? In this lecture, I argue that classical democratic ideals are inadequate in light of the destruction we have caused to the planet. Instead, I characterise democratic equality as untimely and improper arguing that it undermines the boundaries that distinguish humanity from ‘nature’ and from other ‘animals.’ Rather than focus on the morbid symptoms of the early twenty-first century – populism, authoritarianism and war – I celebrate the potential to democratise our relations to each other, to other creatures, and to the ecosystems that condition life on earth. This requires coming to terms with a longer history of planetary domination that originated with colonialism. The recognition that humans have no special status is, ironically, the only way to save humanity from its self-induced destruction.
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