radical ecological democracy: towards a sustainable and equitable world, feb 2014
DESCRIPTION
A fundamental challenge to the currently unsustainable and inequitable model of development can only be through a Radical Ecological Democracy that combines direct or participatory democracy, social justice, ecological sustainability, and economic democracy. The key pillars of such a future are presented in brief here.TRANSCRIPT
Radical Ecological Democracy
Towards a Sustainable andEquitable World
Triple crises….Ecological unsustainability:humanity consumes 1.5 what theearth can sustain; climate crisisalready inevitable
Socio-economic inequities /conflicts / deprivation: 10% rich own53% India’s wealth; grossunemployment
Alienation from rest of nature andfellow humans
State-led & capitalist-led growth ‘at all costs’… violence againstnature and people!
Somethingfundamentally wrongwith development &globalisation model
Towards alternatives
Alternative initiatives for well-being
Water
CraftsShelter
Food
Energy
Governance
LivelihoodsConservation
Villagerevitalisation
Urban sustainability
Learning
Health
Producercompanies
Similar movements in othercountries….
•Upsurge of people’s voices … demand to bepart of decision-making•Rejection of nation-state & private corporation… promotion of peoples’ collectives andcommunities as third alternative•Ecology, social equity, justice at core of manymovements
Radical ecological democracy(Radical = going to the roots, challenging the
conventional)
• achieving human well-being, throughpathways that:– empower all citizens to participate in decision-
making– ensure equitable distribution of wealth– respect the limits of the earth and the rights of
nature
Radical Ecological Democracy:Pillar 1. A NEW POLITICS
Direct democracy: power emanating from grassroot rural andurban communities (Mendha-Lekha: “dilli-mumbai mein hamari sarkar,hamaare gaon mein ham hi sarkar”)
Embedded democracy, ensuring accountability ofrepresentatives / delegates at larger levels through right torecall, citizens’ charters, public hearings, social audits, right toparticipation
Ecoregional decision-making … political boundaries aligned withecological and cultural ones?
Radical Ecological Democracy:Pillar 2. A NEW ECONOMICS
Mindful of ecological limits (freshwater, climate, biochemicalcycles) and need for humanity to downsize its impact
Localisation: self-sufficiency/sovereignty in basic needs
Production & consumption locally controlled, linked into widerlandscape relations
Facilitation of local currencies and non-monetised exchanges
Well-being indicators as alternatives to GDP: basic needs,happiness, social relations (buen vivir ‘good living’)
Radical Ecological Democracy:Pillar 3. A JUST SOCIETY
Towards equity amongstclassescasteswomen and menethnic groupsabled and ‘disabled’
Towards rights-based approaches, with responsibilities
Radical Ecological Democracy:Pillar 4. A NEW CULTURE OF KNOWLEDGE, AND
KNOWLEDGE OF CULTURE
Relinking with rest of nature: humans as part of nature, inherent rightsof nature
Mix of tradition and modernity … both critically examined
Learning through doing and experience, not only textbooks … and from‘barefoot’ teachers as much as from PhDs!
Democratising R&D and technological development
Opportunities for spiritual/ethical growth (not=religious fundamentalism)
Values & principles….
• Diversity and pluralism (of ideas, knowledge, ecologies, economies, polities, cultures…)
• Self-reliance for basics• Cooperation, collectivities, and ‘commons’• Rights with responsibilities/duties• Dignity of labour• Respect to subsistence• Qualitative pursuit of happiness• Equity & social justice• Simplicity• Decision-making access to all• Respect for all life forms• Ecological sustainability
Issues for dialogue….Will big industry be needed? Under whose control? Will private sectorhave a role?
Are market solutions and technofixes part of the solution, or dangerousdiversions?
Will the state wither away? Or does its role as welfare agent &guarantor of rights continue?
What is the role of the ‘middle classes’?
What political forces can lead the way to radical ecological democracy?
Issues for dialogue….Nature of globalisation and global governance?
Free exchange of cultures, ideas, knowledge, materials, andpeople…. Not of predatory finance and homogenous models!
Regional and global peoples’ assemblies, reducing/balancing roleof nation-state
• www.kalpavriksh.org
• http://radicalecologicaldemocracy.wordpress.com
For more information….
Email: [email protected]