Climate policies and individual freedom: what populist responses to ‘x-minute neighbourhood’ policies can tell us about autonomy and democratic legitimacy

If the climate crisis is to be addressed, carbon emissions from transport need to be reduced. ‘15 min neighbourhoods’ could make a contribution to this but populist opposition in the name of individual freedom has been a barrier. It could be argued that it is justified to override individual autonomy concerns due to the urgency of the climate crisis. I argue that this would further undermine the perceived democratic legitimacy of the policies. Using objections to the Oxford proposals as a case study I show instead first how opponents utilize the juxtaposition between an elite and ‘the people’ identified by Mudde as a salient feature of political populism and claim to represent the people. Second I point out that, in contrast to what has been claimed about populism, opponents in this case do not reject the Enlightenment values of mature, responsible citizenship and individual autonomy. Rather they requisition these values for their opposition. Third I argue that the democratic legitimacy of ‘15 min neighbourhood’ policies can be enhanced by retaining mature citizenship and individual autonomy as priority values but showing how ‘15 min neighbourhood’ policies can protect and enhance them in a more responsible, equitable way than the opponents offer.