The book was written by a team of philosophers, politicians, legal experts (Bastien François, Loïc Blondiaux, Yves Sintomer, etc.) and other authorities, under the editorship of Dominique Bourg, within the framework of the Fondation pour la Nature et l’Homme, presided until recently by Nicolas Hulot.

In France, proposals to reform and democratise political institutions rarely consider the fact that political systems must now face environmental issues which did not exist when our representative political systems were founded, more than two centuries ago.
What mechanisms could serve to reinforce the people’s trust in their political representatives? What should be the extent of grassroots participation within the representative system? What part should be given to basic environmental rights?
To take long-term goals into proper account, the authors suggest enlarging France’s two-chamber system to include a third chamber, made up of ordinary citizens instead of professional politicians; this new chamber would have the capacity to intervene in the legislative process from the start (initiative) to the final step (constructive veto). In 2012, French politicians will have to take a stand on these and many other issues.

• An important book to understand current French politics, written by a team of recognised authorities.