From the Anthropocene to the Ecocene
The last time the planet underwent a global warming process similar to the current one was about 2 million years ago, during the Pliocene, long before humans appeared on Earth.
Today, as a consequence of an unsustainable global development model, the Earth system is undergoing transformations on a scale that until now could only be caused by major geological forces, such as the movement of tectonic plates or changes in solar irradiation: we are living in the Anthropocene.
To ensure the continuity of life, a fundamental and urgent reconfiguration of our unsustainable ways of life and social organization is necessary to restore a dynamic ecological balance, giving way to an Ecocene that offers the conditions for the good living of all within the ecological limits of the planet.
Mission
The ECOCENE Foundation is a centre for advanced studies and a platform for action oriented towards the conception, design, and implementation of processes of socio-ecological transformation towards sustainability, seeking to influence the global system with its complex interactions, in its multiple scales and dimensions (economic, political, cultural, technological, etc.). We seek to contribute to systemic societal change for a transition from the Anthropocene to the Ecocene.
Our work focuses on various areas
Research on ongoing socio-ecological transformation processes in different parts of the world, with a focus on Latin America, to unveil clues as to how systemic change occurs.
Development of visions, theoretical concepts, and integrated models for systemic transformation to social-ecological sustainability.
Design and execution of training programs in the social-ecological area for diverse audiences, with the academic endorsement of important international universities.
Facilitation of social change processes in the field and effective protection of human and environmental rights, through consultancies in the development of organizational plans and strategies, and direct action in territorial and community processes.
Legal advice and public interest litigation in the field of human and environmental rights.
Consulting services and production of technical reports for the public and private sectors and civil society organizations.
Creation, promotion, and participation in collaborative work networks to address the challenges that arise in each of the aforementioned areas.
Our vision and Philosophy
The Anthropocene and its multiple socio-ecological crises are a symptom of the unsustainability of a social way of life that has spread across the planet. Both where it has become the “norm” and where it remains an aspiration, this way of life cannot be sustained without the exploitation of peripheral social groups and countries, of future generations and without the degradation of the planet to feed the cycle of accumulation and overconsumption. This is a civilizational crisis of a systemic nature.
The vision of an Ecocene of resilience and sustainability requires thinking and acting in a systemic and integrative way, disabling the blockers of change, and enabling new ways of imagination and action. Because of its complexity, social change is not a controllable phenomenon, but it can be influenced by human action – and, in fact, is influenced constantly, through a myriad of small and large actions – deliberate or not. From a better understanding of the transformational processes occurring in the world and the strategic implementation of transformative action, we believe in the possibility of positively influencing the transition from the Anthropocene to the Ecocene.