Profile

Lars Tønder

Professor with special responsibilities

Bio

Lars Tønder is Professor with special responsibilities in the Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen. His current research focuses on the relation between climate change and democracy, with a focus on governance, citizen participation, civil society, and inclusion of the more-than-human. Prior to these focus areas, he worked on issues related to democratic theory more generally, including political pluralism, social justice, tolerance, and free speech. He is the director of two large research projects – one on "Democratic Innovation in a Green Transition" and another on "Vital Politics: Rethinking Normativity in the Anthropocene" – and the co-investigator on a third project entitled "The Danish Model for Citizen Engagement in Renewable Energy". He is member of the advisory board of Denmark's National Climate Research Center, and he often advises local and national governments on how to include citizens in the green transition as active co-creators of policies and solutions. His most recent book is Power in the Anthropocene, published with Edinburgh University Press in 2025. Professor Tønder is passionate about teaching in higher education, and is currently serving as Head of Studies for the BSc and MSc degrees in Political Science and Social Studies at the University of Copenhagen