BLOG
EcoCiv Blog
Granting Rights to Nature
The United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that humans have integral rights that must be protected. However, where does nature stand? Does it have a legal basis to protect itself? Or is that duty placed onto humans, who may not always have nature’s best interests at heart? Environmental protection is a newer concept,
Bringing Humanity Back to an Economy
In today’s society, the term ‘economy’ refers to people thinking individually to pursue capital gain. This removes a sense of community and partnership from current economic models, reducing the power and capacity of the community when making decisions concerning their local economy. At the Institute for Ecological Civilization, we attempt to maximize the sense of
Refugees in the Climate Crisis
In a constantly changing climate, people must transform – whether that be by adapting to their new environment or finding another place that is better suited to their needs. Movement and migrations are a common theme in the world’s history. However, the primary cause of movement has rarely been due to a changing climate, as
Agrifood Systems: Moving Beyond Binaries
The newly launched Agrifood Systems Program supports localized partners who are working at the intersection of socially equitable and ecologically-rich food and agriculture systems, and connecting them to global resources and knowledge. An intersectional approach to equity and ecology as well as food and agriculture is crucial in moving beyond traditionally binary thinking focused only
Localization and Climate Adaptation: Different and Urgent Processes
Caption: Participants at the 2020 “Cities Facing Escalating Water Shortages” conference in Cape Town, hosted at the University of the Western Cape. The conference facilitated six teams to prioritize intervention areas related to water in the city. Teams covered natural sciences, the social sciences, politics and governance, economics, the technical sciences, and civil society. The
Changing the Conservation Narrative
The dominant conservation narrative for centuries was fortress conservation, an approach that protects natural spaces by excluding human populations who are blamed for ecological degradation. This approach resulted in the displacement of local communities that have long had a deep, cultural, economic and ecological connection to this land. These millennia-old connections with the land have