According to the En-ROADS climate change simulation, our world will have 3,8 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial level in the year 2100. This scenario will occur if humanity goes "business as usual," so no significant change to our current behavior. To avoid dramatic natural catastrophes, world leaders agreed to the Paris Agreement in 2015, intending to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to a level that we will keep the warming between 1,5 – 2,0 Celsius compared to the pre-industrial level. This is an approach advised by the IPCC – the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, mainly inspired by natural science. Still, five years after the Paris Agreement, also natural scientists make a rather pessimistic judgment that humanity is still not on track. An interdisciplinary research approach might contribute to a solution. For example, political science offers the opportunity to reflect on climate change from another angle: How are our political systems and their deficits causing a lack of efforts to fight climate change?

Mr. Rafal Fabianowicz dedicates his dissertation to the before-mentioned research nexus as a doctoral student at Andrássy University Budapest. His studies are awarded the Ph.D. Scholarship of the Hungarian State. He pursues a Ph.D. degree in political science and focuses on environmental politics. His research adapts to the broader focus of the political science department of Andrássy University Budapest, which sets research priorities on Central and Eastern Europe and its strong integration within the EU. Within this frame, Mr. Fabianowicz first analyses how democracy and climate-related sustainability can work as a nexus of a modern green democratic state. Secondly, he investigates based on Poland as a case study how the current government's politics lead to a decrease in the quality of democracy and how it might affect the development into a modern green state. Lastly, Mr. Fabianowicz analyses Poland's overall climate-protection efforts within the multi-level governance system.

Especially in the latter, he could gain some practical experience by supporting his thesis supervisor Dr. Kristina Kurze, as a co-lecturer within European Governance at Andrássy University Budapest. He held lectures in the winter semester about the climate and environmental policy-making of the EU. Beyond, hís dissertation is a vital part of the current public international debate. For example, the World Democracy Forum dedicates a whole year to the question: "Can democracy save the environment" and organizes Online events in 12 different thematic months, all pursuing the same problem from different angles.  In the World Democracy Forum framework, Mr. Fabianowicz co-organizes a webinar for October 2021 with the topic "The future of energy." He will also participate as a panelist to discuss the future coal drop out of Central and Eastern European countries with emphasis on Poland.

Rafal Fabianowicz

doctoral student