Global ecological crisis

Advances in analytical understanding of the biogeochemical cycles of the Biosphere have spawned the concepts of Gaia and Noosphere. Though seldom acknowledged today. it was the natural scientist Vladimir Vernadsky who first drew attention to the increasing scale of human intervention into planetary biogeochemical cycles. He did so in his book "Biosfera", published in 1926. In concert with the Jesuit paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Vernadsky developed the notion of Noosphere -- an evolving collective human consciousness on Earth which was exerting an increasing influence on biogeochemical processes. More recently, the atmospheric chemist James Lovelock has introduced the notion of the Earth as Gaia. In an attempt to explain chemical disequilibria in the Earth's atmosphere, Lovelock has postulated the Earth to be a self-regulating system made up of biota and their environment with the capacity to maintain the Earth's environment in a steady state favorable to life. Gaia and Noosphere have come to represent contrasting interpretations of humanity's relation to planetary ecology, thereby providing potent symbols for human action. With rapid advances in instruments of measurement coupled with increased international scientific cooperation, an analytical science of the Biosphere is emerging. The contradictions of the nature-centered view of Gaia and the human-centered view of Noosphere could become irrelevant as a result.

ÖZ. Bu çalışmanın amacı mevcut ekolojik krize yönelik felsefi yaklaşımların doğasını eleştirel olarak incelemektir. Bu bağlamda öncelikli olarak mevcut ekolojik krize neden olan belirli açmazlara ve bu açmazların beraberinde getirdiği sorulara odaklanılacaktır. Ardından çevre felsefesi tartışmalarına egemen olan etik yaklaşımların sözü edilen maddi zemin ile ilişkisi sorgulanarak genel hatlarıyla çevre felsefesinin mevcut ekolojik kriz ile ilişkisi ele alınmaya çalışılacaktır. Felsefe açıktır ki içinde bulunduğu çağın temel sorunlarını görmezden gelemez. Bu anlamda felsefenin ekoloji konusunda kör olduğunu söylemek de mümkün değildir. Ancak felsefe güncel sorunları ele alırken doğası gereği sorgulamanın odağını kendi kavram çerçevesi içinde yeniden konumlandırmakta, onu kendi kurucu tartışmaları içine yerleştirmektedir. Bu da genellikle yola çıkılan başlangıç noktasının pasif bir hale gelmesine neden olmakta; geri dönülecek noktanın ortadan kaybolmasına yol açmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler: Ekolojik Kriz, Ekopatoloji, Ekolojik Dışsallıklar, Çevre Felsefesi, Çevre Etiği.

GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL CRISIS AND PHILOSOPHY: ESCAPING FROM PARADIGM

ABSTRACT. The aim of this study is to critically examine the nature of philosophical approaches to the burning question of ecological crisis. In this context, study will primarily focus on the specific dilemmas that have caused the current ecological crisis and the questions brought by these dilemmas and secondly to the relationship between ethical approaches dominating the environmental philosophy and current ecological crisis. Philosophy, in fact, is unable to ignore the main problems of its age. And in this sense, it is not possible to say that philosophy is reckless about ecology. However, while philosophy deals with contemporary problems, it has, by its very nature, repositions the focus of interrogation with a conceptual framework and transforms for constituent philosophical discussions.

Keywords: Ecological Crisis, Ecopathology, Ecological Externalities, Environmental Philosophy, Environmental Ethics.

Обсуждается предмет, цели и задачи охраны природы как научно-практической дисциплины. Её значение для экологической теории определяется:
1) пониманием сообществ как мозаики нарушений на разных стадиях зарастания, и устойчивости экосистем как динамического баланса между нарушением и восстановлением растительности (фауна соответствующих территорий играет ключевую роль в обоих процессах);
2) исследованием механизмов устойчивости и жизнеспособности популяций в нарушенных и фрагментируемых местообитаниях, достигающейся вопреки ресурсной, средовой и демографической стохастичности. Включая наш собственный вид, Homo sapiens, с его производством и потреблением, «дробящим» и фрагментирующим природные ландшафты.
Наиболее общие причины экологического кризиса:
а) выгодность умеренных нарушений для хозяйства и природы одновременно,
б) экономические стимулы и другие социальные факторы, постоянно подталкивающие выйти за оптимум антропогенной нагрузки, промысла биоресурсов и пр. параметров трансформации экосистем,
в) «контуров разрушения» - положительных обратных связей, запускающихся, когда нарушение перейдёт допустимый предел и способствующих ещё большему нарушению.
Охарактеризованы факторы а) – в) для современной эпохи, определяющиеся глобальный характер экологического кризиса при современном капитализме. Ведущим фактором развития кризиса оказывается потребительское давление, а не «демографический взрыв» – по мере развития промышленной и урбанистической инфраструктуры человечества второй тормозит, первый, наоборот, набирает скорость.
Обсуждаются пределы роста мирового хозяйства, выход за которые в 1980-е годы вызвал нынешний кризис, возможности экологически устойчивого развития. Показано, что последнее недостижимо количественным ограничением роста мировой экономики, но качественными изменением её структуры:
1) последовательным ограничением свободы предпринимательства, всё более полной компенсацией экологических и социальных рисков, «производимых» одновременно с товарами, что делает выгодным переход от рыночной стихии к плановому хозяйству.
2) Смена ориентиров поведения хозяйствующих субъектов и потребителей от краткосрочного выигрыша к долгосрочному, от максимизации прибыльности вложений к долгосрочной устойчивости существования. Необходимые условия этого созданы процессом 1; что позволяет «вместить» мировое хозяйство в условия устойчивости Германа Дейли.
3) Сопряжённо с изменением структуры производства меняется потребление: от решения проблемы частными средствами, когда ты конкурируешь с множеством делающих то же самое, к вложениям в развитие общественной инфраструктуры, работа которой предоставляет те же возможности всем и на равных. Устранение конкуренции, кроме большей эффективности использования, определяет (при прочих равных) меньшую затрату ресурсов и меньший экологический ущерб.
4) Улучшение качества среды обитания достигается преимущественно восстановлением природных сообществ или их техногенных аналогов (рукотворных ландшафтов), а не техническими средствами. Первое лучше и дешевле второго (во всех случаях кондиционирования среды обитания, где возможно сопоставление). Фактически это проявление общего принципа оптимизации, известного как «совмещение нескольких функций в одном конструктивном элементе», где одна функция – экологическая. А «элемент» представляет собой экосистемы, способные к самоподдержанию, или включают их.
Описаны знаменитые модели «пределов роста» Денниса и Донеллы Медоуз, исходя из которых предсказан глобальный экономический кризис. Показана состоятельность модели, соответствие предсказанных в ней тенденций динамики реальному ходу событий. Описано рождение термина «устойчивое развитие», связанные с ним надежды и причины, по которым они остались пустыми.
Описаны принципы моделирования и структура модели. Анализируется кибернетический механизм развития экологического кризиса, на его основе показано, почему в рамках сценария «бизнес как всегда» обычные регуляторы – рынок и технологии – не просто включаются с запозданием, но, включившись, ухудшают ситуацию. Описаны системные преимущества плановой экономики по переходу к экологически устойчивому развитию.
This paper discusses the subject matter, goals and aims of environmental protection as an academic and practical discipline. Its significance for ecological theory is defined by: 1) the under¬standing of a coenosis as a mosaic of disturbances (or gaps) in various stages of healing and of the persistence of ecological sys¬tems as a dynamic equilibrium between disruption and restoration of vegetation (in both these processes local fauna plays a key part); 2) the study of mechanisms by which populations in dis¬rupted and fragmented habitats achieve sustainability and survivability despite the stochastic properties of resources, environment and demographics, including our own species, the Homo sapiens, with its production and consumption that fragment and fracture natural landscapes.
The generalized causes of the present ecological crisis are:
a. the profitability of moderate disturbances both for industry and nature
b. the economic stimuli and other social fac¬tors that constantly promote going beyond the anthro¬pogenic pressure optimum, the limits of biological re¬source exploitation and other ecosystem transformation parameters.
c. the destructive feedback patterns - positive feedback loops that start when a disturbance crosses a cer¬tain threshold and compound this disturbance further.
Factors a) to c) are described for the modern period as de¬fined by the global scale of the ecological crisis in modern capitalism. The leading factor in this crisis’ development turns out to be consumption impact instead of a population boom: as industrial and urban infrastructure of human civilization develops, the for¬mer increases while the latter decreases.
Also on topic are the limits to growth of the global economy the surpassing of which during the 1980s has caused the present crisis, and the possibilities of sustainable development. The latter is shown to be impossible to achieve by quantitative limits on global economic growth alone, only with a qualitative transformation of the whole structure of the global economy, including:
1) consecutive steps to limit the freedom of private enter¬prise and increase compensation for environmental and social risks “produced” along with the goods and services, which makes transition from the chaotic free market to a planned economy vi¬able.
2) a complete change of milestones and reference points guiding consumers and economic entities from short-term profits to long-term gains and from maximizing the profitability of in¬vestments to long-term sustainability of the economy. The neces¬sary conditions for such a change are provided by step 1 which al¬lows to “fit” the global economy into the sustainability conditions as defined by H. Daly.
3) a radical change in consumption patterns alongside the structure of production: from solving a problem by private means while competing with others doing the same thing, to investment in development of a common infrastructure that affords the same possibilities to everyone equally. Removing competition, apart from increasing effectiveness, also leads (under the same condi¬tions) to less environmental damage and resource consumption.
4) improving the environment by restoring natural habitats or building their technological analogues (man-made landscapes) instead of using purely technological means, since the former is cheaper and better than the latter in all cases of environmental conditioning where comparison is possible. In fact this is a minor case of a larger optimization principle called the “combination of several functions in one structural element”, where one of the function is ecological, and the element is represented by self-sus¬taining ecosystems or includes them.
The paper also reviews and comments on the famous “lim¬its to growth” models made by Dennis and Donella Meadows that predict the global environmental and economic crisis. The model is shown to be valid and the dynamics and trends outlined by it coincide with the actual course of events. The term “sustainable development” and its origins are discussed along with the expectations that it had provoked and the reasons why said expectations remained unfulfilled.
The principles of modeling and the structure of the model itself are outlined in the later part of the paper, with the analysis of the developmental mechanism of the development of the environ¬mental crisis, and based upon this analysis the paper shows why in the basic “business as usual” scenario the usual regulators - namely, the free market and technology - not only fail to activate in time, but also confound and aggravate the situation further. The systemic advantages of a planned economy in transition to a sus¬tainable type of development are described in the conclusion

Описаны знаменитые модели «пределов роста» Денниса и Донеллы Медоуз, исходя из которых предсказан глобальный экономический кризис. Показана состоятельность модели, соответствие предсказанных в ней тенденций динамики реальному ходу событий. Описано рождение термина «устойчивое развитие», связанные с ним надежды и причины, по которым они остались пустыми.

Our oceans are in an ecological crisis due to their contamination with millions of tons of toxic microplastic particles. In just a few years, the volume of microplastic particles will exceed that of plankton in our oceans and turn them into a huge sea of plastic. This publication brings together numerous international art projects related to environmental activities, DIY biotechnology, and science, and draws attention to the irreversible destruction of our marine ecosystems – the current threat posed by the loss of marine animal biodiversity, for example, or the decline in oxygen production due to massive plankton loss. It also presents current scientific findings on sustainable alternatives to plastic.

With contributions by Dianna Cohen, Jennifer Wagner-Lawlor, Regine Rapp, Christian de Lutz, Mary Maggic, Robertina Šebjanič, Brandon Ballengée, Victoria Vesna, Martina R. Fröschl, Alfred Vendl, Reiner Maria Matysik, Ingeborg Reichle, Thomas Schwaha, Stephan Handschuh, María Antonia González Valerio, Rosaura Martínez Ruiz, Pinar Yoldas, and Michael Sauer.

Today, humanity stands at a historic crossroads. Deepening poverty and accelerating ecological destruction challenge us to act with wisdom and maturity: How can we move toward a future where meaning, hope, and beauty can truly flourish?

The Tao of Liberation is a search for this path, the wisdom needed to effect profound transformations in our world. Hathaway and Boff describe this wisdom using the ancient Chinese word Tao, meaning a way or path leading to harmony, peace, and right relationship. The Tao can also be understood as the wisdom that lies at the very heart of the flowing structure of the universe, encapsulating the essence of its purpose.

The book begins by asking: How does transformation occur? Or, perhaps more precisely: Why is it so difficult to effect the changes so urgently needed to save the living Earth community? It then embarks on a journey of exploration through such diverse fields as economics, psychology, cosmology, and spirituality in search for the wisdom – or Tao – needed to move away from our current destructive path and instead toward authentic liberation: A way leading to ever-greater communion, diversity, and creativity. ""

Les rationalités de l'électronucléaire [Kairos, juin/juillet 2019, pp. 15-17]

Le développement de l'utilisation de l'énergie nucléaire constitue le tournant de l'histoire de l'humanité. La majorité des citoyens pressent qu'on a « mal tourné », mais peu parviennent à mettre de l'ordre dans les arguments contradictoires qui sont manipulés, au propre comme, trop souvent, au figuré, par les factions en présence. S'il fallait opérer à l'aide d'un raccourci saisissant, on pourrait faire remarquer que le risque électronucléaire est totalement injustifié, simplement parce qu'il est impossible de démontrer que le kWh nucléaire est meilleur marché-ou même bon marché. Toute activité humaine comporte des risques ; le risque électronucléaire est supposément maîtrisé et acceptable, mais, si un accident majeur devait se produire dans un pays densément peuplé comme la Belgique, les dégâts se chiffreraient en milliers de milliards d'euros. Or, puisque ce risque n'est pas nul, il serait logique de le prendre en compte dans le calcul du coût du kWh-qui deviendrait dès lors astronomique. De plus, le coût de la totalité du cycle du combustible n'est pas évaluable : d'une part, le démantèlement des centrales demeure largement expérimental ; d'autre part, le coût des techniques de retraitement, de stabilisation et de stockage des déchets hautement radioactifs ne peut être estimé, puisqu'elles doivent produire leurs effets sur 100 000 ans et plus. En conclusion, si le coût réel du kWh nucléaire ne peut être déterminé, on ne peut en aucune façon prétendre que le risque en vaut la chandelle. Dans « L'imposture électronucléaire 2 », on trouve trois discussions complémentaires 3 ; elles sont replacées ici dans leur contexte à l'aide de trois fois trois clefs : 1 Philosophe. Dernier ouvrage paru : Contre le totalitarisme transhumaniste : les enseignements philosophiques du sens commun, Limoges, FYP éditions, 2018. 2 M. Weber, « L'imposture électronucléaire », Les Zindigné(e)s !-La vie est à nous, n° 28, octobre 2015, pp. 14-18. 3 Premièrement, l'utilisation militaire du nucléaire (les réacteurs plutinogènes et les bombes) a été, et reste, décisive pour le développement de l'industrie civile, qui est triple : la production d'électricité (les réacteurs électrogènes), les traitements médicaux par isotopes et les techniques d'imagerie, et la radiostérilisation de matériel médical et d'aliments.

En el presente ensayo, se sostiene que nuestras posibilidades de “proseguir la hominización” (Morin y Kern 2006) y de revertir la degradación biosférica y la amenaza biótica dependerán de nuestra capacidad para imaginar, de modo práctico y continuamente, a la Tierra como a un entramado de sistemas con los cuales estamos enmarañados de modo inevitable. El reconocimiento de la integración y la interdependencia con el mundo más-que-humano se perfilan como indispensables para vislumbrar una alternativa viable a la degradación ambiental y social en todo el mundo. Se coincide plenamente con Gregory Bateson, en este sentido, en que son nuestras formas de conocer las que deben ser enmendadas. Y se sugiere que poseemos, hoy, las herramientas para rectificar esas patologías de la epistemología; al menos para emprender su gradual modificación. Más específicamente, se parte de la hipótesis propuesta por Doyle (2011) de que las sustancias “psicodélicas” (que manifiestan la mente) pueden actuar como psicotecnologías “ecodélicas” (que hacen manifiesta nuestra imbricación con el ecosistema). Es decir, que son moléculas que pueden ser instrumentalizadas para hacer patente el hecho de que el ser humano es elementalmente indivisible de la biosfera. Debido precisamente a esta capacidad, se argumenta que dichas sustancias podrían ser fundamentales para recobrar la gracia de reconocer nuestra membrecía interrelacionada dentro de la comunidad de organismos vivientes en el planeta. La “experiencia ecodélica” nos impele a entretejer una nueva narración épica y mítica de re-simbolización y transformación, que nos llama a retomar nuestro lugar adecuado en el cosmos de la evolución. Y con todo ello, se argumenta, se vuelve más factible el promover la solidaridad y la responsabilidad, así como las reformas del pensamiento y la política que tan desesperadamente requerimos en la actualidad.

Краткое содержание. Охрана природы как практическая дисциплина, её связь с природопользованием и антропогенными нарушениями сообществ/ландшафта. Социально-экономические факторы, определяющие истощительную эксплуатацию биоресурсов: почему потребители «переходят грань» долговременной устойчивости и подрывают ресурс (нарушают ландшафт) настолько, что то и другое приходится охранять. Неистощительное (устойчивое) природопользование как цель природоохранной деятельности,  концепция кризисов в системе «природа-общество» Д.И.Люри как теоретическая основа. Социальные факторы и механизмы, способствующие выходу за пределы и препятствующие устойчивому развитию.

Die Diskrepanz zwischen dem Wissen über die ökologische Krise und der Effektivität ihrer politischen Bearbeitung wächst. Institutionen internationaler Umweltpolitik stecken gerade in Zeiten der Verschärfung ökologischer Probleme in einer Legitimations- und Funktionskrise. Dies steht im Gegensatz zum breit anerkannten anthropogenen Charakter des Klimawandels
und einer entsprechenden Politisierung dieses Krisenphänomens. Der Beitrag skizziert zunächst einen theoretischen Rahmen, um die Diskrepanz zwischen Krisenbewusstsein und Krisenbearbeitung zu erklären. Dazu wird das Konzept der gesellschaftlichen Naturverhältnisse mit
Erkenntnissen aus der kritischen Geographie sowie der Regulations- und der kritischen Staatstheorie verbunden. Die empirische Analyse identifiziert sodann die fossilistischen Produktions- und Konsummuster als Ursache der genannten Diskrepanz. Deren tiefe Verankerung und globale Ausbreitung überlagert das ökologische Krisenbewusstsein ebenso wie die Verhandlungen auf den existierenden umweltpolitischen Terrains. Gleichzeitig akzentuiert sie die Widersprüchlichkeit
der vorherrschenden gesellschaftlichen Naturverhältnisse, deren (mögliche) herrschaftsförmige Bearbeitung und demokratisch motivierte Politisierung abschließend analysiert werden.

There is a growing discrepancy between the knowledge about the ecological crisis and the effectiveness to deal with this crisis politically. Just in a time of increasing environmental problems the institutions of international environmental politics are in a crisis of legitimation and functioning. This contrasts with the broadly acknowledged anthropogenic character of climate
change and the respective politicisation of this crisis phenomenon. The article firstly develops a theoretical framework which aims to contribute to explaining the growing discrepancy between There is a growing discrepancy between the knowledge about the ecological crisis and the effectiveness to deal with this crisis politically. Just in a time of increasing environmental problems the institutions of international environmental politics are in a crisis of legitimation and
functioning. This contrasts with the broadly acknowledged anthropogenic character of climate change and the respective politicisation of this crisis phenomenon. The article firstly develops a theoretical framework which aims to contribute to explaining the growing discrepancy between crisis consciousness and crisis politics. For this purpose, the concept of societal relationships with nature is linked to insights of critical geography, regulation theory and critical state theory. Thereafter, the empirical analysis identifies the fossilist production and consumption patterns as principal
cause for the mentioned discrepancy. Its deeply rootedness and global outreach supersede the ecological crisis consciousness and the negotiations on the existing terrains of environmental politics. At the same time, they contribute to intensifying the contradictions in societal relationships with nature. The (possible) processing of these contradictions and their democratically motivated politicisation will be analysed in the last section of the paper.

Psychedelics, eco-consciousness and ecological crisis. An invited symposium at Breaking Convention: 5th International Conference on Psychedelic Consciousness, 16th-18th August, 2019, University of Greenwich, London.

Chair: David Luke

09:30 Psychedelic Biophilia: From Egoism to Ecoism
Sam Gandy

10:00 Shapeshifting: A Kneeling Kind of Knowing
Jay Griffiths

10:30 Ontological Anarchy and the Ecological Self
Andy Letcher

11:30 Tribal insights: Power and Revolution
Bruce Parry

12:00 Extinction Rebellion and the Role of Psychedelics – Personal and
Beyond – Gail Bradbrook

12:30 Panel Discussion with speakers, Rory Spowers, and Paul Powlesland

This thesis locates itself in the field of critical green political theory. It takes the present environmental crisis as its object of study to provide a critical account of the way it is currently addressed in dominant Anthropocene narratives and liberal capitalist growth-based institutions. This work offers a constructive and emancipatory delineation of what could be an ecological civilisation respectful of its natural environment and social differences, and describes how to shift from an ‘arrogant speciesism’ and materialistic lifestyle to a post-anthropocentric ecological humanism focusing on the ‘good life’ within ecological limits. Whilst there are already countless research works and books dealing with this issue, the major novelty of this thesis is to propose a green republican analysis building on John Barry’s work that covers the ethical, political, and economic aspects of the transition away from ‘actually existing unsustainability’. Taking as a starting point the society as it is constituted today and not as it should be, that is a consumer capitalist society characterised by ecologically flawed ontological, ethical, and practical approaches, this dissertation presents a normative investigation concerned with the real world applicability of the changes it suggests to implement. Indeed, while rooted in ethical thinking and political philosophy, this thesis seeks to offer a concrete roadmap of how sustainable societies can be fostered. It, therefore, represents an attempt in the field of ‘realist utopianism’, that is a position committed to a transformative narrative which advocates humans’ reconciliation (and re-connection) with the planet and the more than human world. This work aims at integrating and synthesising across different bodies of knowledge such as Earth Systems Sciences (ESS), philosophy, political theory, political science, political economy, ecological economics, but also sociology, psychology, and cultural studies. In this regard, it is an interdisciplinary applied form of critical green political theorising.

Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on care for our common home, invites humanity to cultivate “ecological virtues” in order to become more responsible stewards of our imperilled common home. According to the Pope, the formation of healthy habitus for the stewardship of Earth can be achieved only through the cultivation of appropriate ecological virtues. It may be recalled that there is a growing awareness of the importance of the role of ecological virtues in environmental ethics today. In this paper we shall reflect on seven ecological virtues: praise, gratitude, care, justice, work, sobriety, and humility. They do not receive a separate treatment in Laudato Si’, but are mentioned throughout the encyclical. They are like signposts that indicate the road that we need to travel in caring for our common planetary home.

The anthropogenic Sixth Extinction is an existential threat to much of life on Earth, including the human species.  In this essay, I critically examine the renowned entomologist, naturalist, and conservationist E. O. Wilson’s proposal in his recent book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life(2016), to stop and reverse it.  In section I, I will outline what is meant by biodiversity and why it matters, and provide the basic facts about the Sixth Extinction and its salient causes.  In section II, I will outline Wilson’s proposal identifying tensions in his arguments for its efficacy.  In particular, I will show the tension between Wilson’s love for the natural world and his knowledge of biology and ecology on one hand and his inadequate understanding of human history, in particular, the capitalist civilization, which results in wishful thinking.  The Half-Earth proposal is necessary but not sufficient for stopping and reversing the Sixth Extinction. Finally, I conclude with a brief outline of what I consider to be necessary in order to make Wilson’s proposal effective.

Cet article interroge la posture des praticiens des champs de la psychosociologie et de la formation tout au long de la vie pour prendre en compte la dimension spirituelle des expériences d’autoformation existentielle. Une première partie présente les méthodologies réflexives de recherche-formation qui permettent de prendre en compte les dimensions existentielle et spirituelle dans une perspective transdisciplinaire. La seconde partie présente le concept d’auto-écoformation comme prise de conscience et transformation par le sujet des relations à l’environnement physique et social. Enfin, la troisième partie situe la dialectique auto-éco-formatrice face aux enjeux de la mondialisation interculturelle et la crise écologique planétaire. L’engagement éthique des chercheurs se trouve ici resitué comme responsabilité éco-citoyenne pour accompagner l’émergence d’un « soi écologique »
This paper questions the posture of facilitators in lifelong learning to take into account the spiritual dimension of existential self-learning experiences. It unfold the concept of self-learning as an awareness and transformation by the subject of his relationships to the physical and social environment. The dialectic of self-learning is now facing the challenges of intercultural globalization and the global ecological crisis. There is a need of commitment  of eco-citizen to support the emergence of an "ecological self".

Starting from the economic debate about the notion of public and collective goods, the paper tries to illustrate part of the discussion on public goods and the defnitions of the commons, in order to provide some insights about this topic, and to give an overview of emerging processes related to facts, theories on governance of the commons, their potential limits and the related policies.
The first part acknowledges that a conception of human beings’ nature and related intrinsic motivations is behind each defnition of collective goods and each solution to address the free-rider problem. From this standpoint, different defnitions of the commons and collective goods imply diverse understandings of democracy and of the role of the State and the market.
Since both the Commons and the public goods share the feature of non-excludability, the next part lingers on the potential outcomes of the strengthening of property rights and the attribution of bundles of rights to common resources, as proposed by several authors.
A second part is dedicated to the idea of the Commons within the threefold (economic, social and environmental) crisis. Nowadays this topic is crucial in Italy and many other countries, since an involvement of communities and civil society is increasing around the issue of the Commons, both as a theoretical and a practical issue. The second part of the work rises two points: (i) that Ostrom’s celebrated definition of common pool resources can’t contain the manifold experiences related to the commons and their management (and that new refections on this topic are required); (ii) that actual circumstances and the emphasis on the Commons are pushing for a change in human self-perception and the conception of identity and citizenship potentially leading to new social and economic outcomes.

Contrasting the ideas of the architectural theorist Christopher Alexander with the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, Alexander's work is defended as a practical orientation for overcoming the deficiencies in modernist architecture and built-up environments identified by Heidegger. The importance of this for addressing the global ecological crisis is shown.

Die Macht der ökologischen Krise: Perspektiven der Politischen Ökologie Die sich weiterhin vertiefende ökologische Krise hat eine Ursache auch in der " wissenschaftlichen " Arbeitsteilung zwischen Sozial-und Geisteswissenschaften einerseits sowie Natur-und Ingenieurswissenschaften auf der anderen. Auch gesellschaftlich wurden und werden die historisch-konkreten Formen, in denen Natur angeeignet wird – um sich zu ernähren, fortzubewegen, zu wohnen, sich fortzupflanzen – meist als selbstverständlich angenommen. Die historische Gewordenheit und Veränderbarkeit der gesellschaftlichen Naturverhältnisse und damit Fragen von Macht und Herrschaft, die sich im Verhältnis von Natur und Gesellschaft ausdrücken, bleiben unberücksichtigt. Nachdem in den 1970er Jahren Umweltprobleme in Folge der immer weiteren Ausbeutung bzw. Beherrschung der Natur, beispielweise im Rahmen der landwirtschaftlichen ‚Grünen Revolution' mit ihren problematischen Konsequenzen, verstärkt in die öffentliche Diskussion geraten waren, wurde die ‚ökologische Krise' als solche thematisiert. Damit geriet auch das Verhältnis von Gesellschaft zur Natur in den Blick. Die Anerkennung des globalen und umfassenden Charakters der ökologischen Krise erfolgte in den 1990er Jahren. Phänomene wie der Verlust der biologischen Vielfalt und der von Menschen verursachten Klimawandel wurden als Teil einer globalen Problemlage wahrgenommen, die unterschiedliche Erscheinungsformen in den verschiedenen Regionen haben. Gleichwohl entwickelte sich in der Folge der " Rio-Konferenz " zu Umwelt und Entwicklung im Jahr 1992 – dort wurden unter anderem die Klimarahmenkonvention und die Konvention über die biologische Vielfalt unterzeichnet – eine Art " globales Umweltmanagement " (Görg/Brand 2002), demzufolge mit geeigneten und international verabredeten politischen Rahmenbedingungen den sozial-ökologischen Krisenphänomenen Einhalt geboten werden könnte. Das ist weitgehend gescheitert.

La mercantilización de todos los aspectos y ámbitos de nuestras vidas, junto con la hipertecnificación de nuestras existencias y un tecno-optimismo que lo apuesta todo en la vía tecnológica como camino para garantizar el crecimiento económico en un mundo finito y vulnerable, representan dos de los rasgos más salientes de nuestra civilización de la tarda modernidad capitalista, que en la actualidad se halla envuelta en una crisis cuya dimensión socio-ecológica está socavando sus propios cimientos. 
El presente trabajo pretende reflexionar sobre las premisas y las consecuencias de esos dos elementos definitorios de nuestras sociedades, poniendo el foco tanto en los presupuestos culturales en los que se enmarcan y que han constituido su condición de posibilidad, como en la imagen del mundo resultante de la forma de mirar a la realidad que ellos han apuntalado.
La tesis que aquí se defiende es que la solución a la actual crisis tendrá que pasar necesariamente no solo por repensar esa imagen, sino ante todo por cuestionar la que es una de sus piezas claves, la comprensión instrumental de la técnica.

Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ recent encyclical on care for our common home, invites humanity to cultivate “ecological virtues” in order to become more responsible stewards of our imperilled common home. According to the Pope, the formation of healthy habitus for the stewardship of Earth can be achieved only through the cultivation of appropriate ecological virtues. It may be recalled that there is a growing awareness of the importance of the role of ecological virtues in environmental ethics today. In this paper we shall reflect on seven ecological virtues: praise, gratitude, care, justice, work, sobriety, and humility. They do not receive a separate treatment in Laudato Si’, but are mentioned throughout the encyclical. They are like signposts that indicate the road that we need to travel in caring for our common planetary home.

Terra Mater. Bumi adalah perwujudan “Ibu Pertiwi”, simbolisasi ini menempatkan kedudukan bumi sebagai kerahiman yang penuh kasih. Ia menjadi pelindung bagi segenap isinya termasuk manusia didalamnya. Bumi dalam pandangan kosmologi timur dipahami berdasarkan prinsip feminin di mana adanya suatu hubungan dialektis dan co-existence yang saling melengkapi satu sama lainnya. Hubungan antara penciptaan dan perusakan, penyatuan dan perpecahan menjadi siklus pergerakan dinamis alam semesta. Sebagaimana Shiva (1988; 1998) tulis bahwa didalam filsafat India hubungan tersebut ialah antara Prakriti (alam) dan Purusha (manusia). Hubungan antara Prakriti dan Purusha saling memelihara dan bukannya terpisah. Ini berbeda dengan pandangan Barat (pasca era pencerahan dan revolusi industri) yang memposisikan antara kedua entitas tersebut terpisah bahkan salah satunya mendominasi.

Pandangan yang menegasikan kedua entitas kehidupan itu dipenuhi dengan dualisme dan pendikotomian antara alam dan manusia, laki-laki dan perempuan. Pandangan yang menempatkan bumi sebagai subordinasi kekuasaan manusia menjadikannya objek eksploitasi dan penjarahan. Alhasil, bumi dijadikan sumber keruk tak habis-habisnya sehingga muncullah krisis ekologi disana-sini. Terancam dan terganggunya siklus ekologi ini disebabkan oleh cara pandang antroposentrisme dan androsentrisme. Pembangunan disebut-sebut sebagai biang keladi dari lahirnya krisis ekologi ini.

В статье предпринимается попытка анализа аксиологических детерминант глобального экологического кризиса. Авторами представлен краткий обзор основных концепций, которые могут выступать теоретическим и методологическим основанием формирования этического отношения к биосфере. В то же время отмечена проблема разрыва между теоретическими по-строениями и реальной практикой хозяйственной деятельности, которая принципиально не фундирована этически.

The paper analyzes the axiological determinants of global ecological crisis. Authors present a brief overview of the main concepts that can act as the theoretical and methodological basis of ethical relation to the biosphere. At the same time the gap between theoretical constructions and the actual practice of economic activity which in principle is not ethically funded is noted.

The crisis of our times is science without wisdom.  It is the outcome of an astonishingly successful tradition of scientific and technological research pursued within the context of an academic inquiry that is profoundly and damagingly irrational, in a structural way, when judged from the standpoint of helping humanity make progress towards a wise, enlightened world.  This damaging irrationality of academia goes back to the 18th century Enlightenment.  The philosophes of the French Enlightenment, in implementing the profound idea that we might learn from scientific progress how to achieve social progress towards an enlightened world, made three gross blunders – and it is these blunders, still uncorrected, that are built into academia today, and result in its current dysfunctional character.  We urgently need to correct these blunders and transform academia, so that it becomes rationally, effectively and actively engaged in helping humanity discover what to do to solve the global problems that threaten our future, and thus make progress towards a good, enlightened world.

This article presents religion's potential where the promotion and implementation of the concept of sustainable development are concerned. First inspired by Lynn White in the 1960s, discussion on religion's role in the ecological crisis now allows for an honest assessment of the ecological potential of various religious traditions and their contribution to the building of a sustainable world. This article on the one hand points to the religious inspirations behind the concept of sustainable development, and on the other highlights the joint action of representatives of religion and science in the name of sustainable development, as well as the involvement of religions in the concept's implementation.

This theoretical study is focused on finding new intellectual pathways in political science which will enable classical or mainstream theories to better tackle the global ecological crisis. Among these theories are the most commonly operationalized theories of international relations: neorealism and liberal institutionalism. The study offers a summary of the various critiques of the theories' weaknesses, focusing on state-centrism as the biggest obstacle in adapting the theories to the current crisis. Lastly, it gives examples of conceptual and theoretical frameworks that could help reformulate and update the obsolete categories and concepts used by the mainstream theories. One of those frameworks is the concept of world-ecology, which provides a new way of understanding the role of the state in relation to global capitalism and nature.

We do not live in the Anthropocene, but rather, the period of time defined by agricultural civilization. If we are to take this definitional question seriously, then the implications are immense for our understanding of not only our ecological predicament, but the entire narrative of our species, and therefore its hopes for future survival. Accepting the fact that our present era of mass extinction and climate change are the result not of something necessarily inherent to Homo sapiens as a species, but rather of a particular style of living and notion of a particularly singular human liberty, constrained to certain historical cultures, opens up space to consider already existent alternatives to what I am terming the Civilicene. It is indeed the fact that any other way of life, and conception of self, is framed as an "alternative" (Gibson-Graham 2008) which further reifies and performs the dominant position of the Civilicene narrative. If we are to de-centre our current way of life as teleologically inevitable, we must overcome this framing, allowing the expansion of both our cultural conception of the human being, and possible ways of life and nature-culture relations. Anthropology's raison d'être has in some sense always been the study of these "alternatives" and their Western construed "vulnerability" (which is itself a form of othering). The reason to turn to this discipline specifically in this time has been aptly summarized by Graeber (2004), who wrote that we must "look at those who are creating viable alternatives, try to figure out what might be the larger implications of what they are (already) doing, and then offer those ideas back, not as prescriptions, but as contributions, possibilities-as gifts" (p.12). This has not always been the orientation of the discipline, being itself steeped in Western notions of cultural superiority. However, the drive to compare the vast diversity of humankind has always been at the centre of anthropology. If indeed each culture, as Wade Davis described it, is a unique answer to the question of "what does it mean to be human and alive?" (2009)....

Paper based on the response to the panel on Economics and Ecology at the "National Consultation on Church Reformed: Always reforming. Celebration of 500th year of Reformation and 80th year of Re-Thinking Christianity Movement of India", conference held at Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore, 25th-27th April 2017.

Описаны природные пределы, выход за которые ввергает биосферу в антропогенный экологический кризис. Показано, что многие из них уже превзойдены, к другим система стремится с ускорением. Анализируются экономические и другие причины, определяющие неблагоприятную динамику по конкретным ресурсам и областям производства, также как и возможности перелома тенденции.

Bhakti begins from our situation: Dharmic comprehension of crisis Bhakti is greater than Karma Yoga, greater than Jnana Yoga, greater than Raja Yoga. For bhakti is the ultimate end or goal of spiritual life. All other paths lead to its realization.1 No problem can be solved by the same level of consciousness that created it.2

La presente ponencia se orienta a indagar acerca del ecofeminismo y sus fundamentos teóricos. Para ello, se realiza una búsqueda bibliográfica en donde se exploran cuáles son los postulados de dicha línea de pensamiento, cuáles son sus principales corrientes y cómo se integra el ecologismo con el feminismo. Asimismo, se desarrollan las características del movimiento en América Latina.
A partir de la búsqueda realizada, se halló una interpretación ecofeminista de la crisis civilizatoria que hace hincapié en los aspectos culturales de la misma. A modo de cierre, se plantea una serie de interrogantes a partir del recorrido realizado.

COP21 was widely hailed by environmentalists, politicians, and much of the media as “a landmark” and “turning point” in the struggle against global climate change. Yet, there was no binding agreement on emissions reductions, financing of programs, or penalties for non-compliance. Instead, there was a celebration of the rapidly-growing “ambition” on the part of the parties to the agreement. One must suspect that this event was a continuation of the politics of the gesture that was exhibited in previous spectacular events such as the last year’s “People’s Climate March.” Published on the "It Is What It Isn't" Blog, Changing Suns Press, Dec. 18, 2015.