Climate Consciousness
This theme explores actions and approaches to urgent environmental issues of our time. We seek your insights into alternative approaches to perceived challenges such as accelerated climate change and biodiversity loss.
Some scholars suggest that our current sustainability crisis is really one of a crisis in human consciousness. If we suppose that this is true then how might that affect the way we address conservation challenges? If there is interconnectedness between all things (as cutting-edge science and ancient wisdom attests), how can such an understanding change the way we do and think about sustianability? Can, for example, climate change and the spread of non-native species (biological invasions) be addressed with tools associated with ‘unity consciousness’? What would that look like? How can cross-cultural knowledge and indicators be integrated into our approaches?
What are people doing at an individual level to adapt to or address the sustainability crisis, climate change and biodiversity loss in a more meaningful way? Are these actions helping a collective ‘climate-of-consciousness?’
A lot has been written and explored about how shifts in individual and collective consciousness may affect our health, relationships, outlook and wellbeing. But little has been done on how such shifts may be applied to our perceived environmental crises e.g. loss of biodiversity, pollution. We need to open up a positive and constructive dialogue on the ways which we can integrate different ‘ways of knowing’ in our approaches to global change. It is hoped that in doing so we can create more effective and ‘wholesome’ strategies for sustainability action and education aimed at reconnecting with nature.
Do you know of any examples worth sharing?
