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Draft:Planetary thinking

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Planetary thinking refers to a conceptual framework that emphasizes the Earth as an interconnected system comprising ecological, geological, and social dimensions. It seeks to expand beyond anthropocentric views, advocating for a more comprehensive understanding of humanity’s relationship with planetary processes.[1][2] This approach integrates long-term perspectives on planetary dynamics, planet-human relationships, and societal responsibilities toward ecological sustainability.[3][4]

Historical and Theoretical Background

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The origins of planetary thinking can be traced back to the intellectual developments in the mid-20th century, where concerns about the planet’s finite resources, environmental degradation, and the impacts of human activities led scholars to think in broader, interconnected terms.[5][6] In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, authors such as Bruno Latour and Dipesh Chakrabarty have further expanded on these ideas. Latour’s Down to Earth: Politics in the New Climatic Regime emphasizes the need for a new political order grounded in planetary responsibility​,[7] while Chakrabarty’s The Climate of History in a Planetary Age explores how human history can be understood within planetary scales.[8] The development of planetary thinking incorporated scientific insights and Indigenous knowledge, underscoring the interconnectedness of life and natural processes. This perspective aligns with theories of planetary multiplicity, which highlight the Earth’s historical evolution through various states of change.[9]

Core Concepts

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  1. Interconnectedness: Planetary thinking emphasizes the interconnected nature of Earth's systems, shifting the focus from a human-centered worldview to recognizing humans as one component within Earth's evolving ecological, social, and political systems. It draws on insights from systems theory and ecological science to highlight the complexity and interdependence of planetary processes, arguing that challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss cannot be adequately addressed in isolation. This holistic perspective necessitates a comprehensive approach that integrates local, regional, and planetary considerations.[10]
  2. Temporal Awareness: The framework emphasizes long-term thinking, considering deep time and geological transformations that span millions of years, well beyond human timescales.[11]
  3. Environmental and Ecological Ethics: It advocates for a holistic understanding of the Earth’s ecological and social systems, recognizing their mutual influence. For instance, biological processes, such as the formation of fossil fuel deposits, are understood in relation to human political and economic systems.[12]
  4. Beyond Anthropocentrism: While acknowledging the significant impact of human activities in the Anthropocene, planetary thinking also accounts for planetary processes that predate and transcend human influence, thus encouraging a more comprehensive environmental ethics.[13]

Implications for Governance and Democracy

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Planetary thinking has potential implications for democratic governance, suggesting a need for institutions that reflect the long-term and global nature of planetary processes. Nation-state governance, grounded in territorial boundaries, is increasingly seen as inadequate for managing planetary-scale crises that require coordinated international responses.[14] Scholars like Frank Biermann, Stefanie Fishel, and Anthony D. Burke advocate for institutional innovations, including global environmental treaties and multinational regulatory frameworks, to address these interconnected challenges.[15][16] This shift toward global governance demands more adaptive and inclusive systems that integrate ecological concerns across all levels of policy-making.

Another critical aspect of planetary thinking is the need to expand democratic systems to account for the interests of future generations and non-human entities.[17] This includes movements advocating for the legal recognition of ecosystems through concepts such as the rights of nature, which grant legal personhood to natural systems. Such approaches seek to address the ethical and practical need for inclusive governance that recognizes humanity's interdependence with the environment.[18] However, planetary governance raises concerns about democratic legitimacy and representation, as expanding decision-making to a global scale may distance governance from local communities. Balancing global coordination with local democratic participation remains a central challenge.[19]

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Panel on Planetary Thinking - University of Giessen

Planet Politics Institute

Earth System Governance Project

References

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  1. ^ Mohr, Magali (March 15, 2023). "HOW CAN WE THINK LIKE A PLANET?". Futurium. Retrieved 2024-09-20.
  2. ^ Hanusch, Frederic (2021). Planetar denken [Planetary thinking] (in German). Bielefeld: Transcript. ISBN 978-3-8376-5383-0.
  3. ^ Bray, Karen; Eaton, Heather; Bauman, Whitney, eds. (2023). Earthly things: immanence, new materialisms, and planetary thinking. New York: Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-1-5315-0306-2.
  4. ^ Hui, Yuk (December 2020). "For a Planetary Thinking". e-flux Journal (114).
  5. ^ Arendt, Hannah; Kohn, Jerome (2006). Between past and future: eight exercises in political thought. Penguin classics. New York (N.Y.): Penguin books. ISBN 978-0-14-310481-0.
  6. ^ Axelos, Kostas (1964). Vers la pensée planétaire [Toward Planetary Thinking] (in French). Paris: Les Éditions de Minuit.
  7. ^ Latour, Bruno (2018). Down to earth: politics in the new climatic regime. Cambridge, UK ; Medford, MA: Polity Press. ISBN 978-1-5095-3059-5.
  8. ^ Chakrabarty, Dipesh; Latour, Bruno (2021). The climate of history in a planetary age. Chicago London: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-73286-2.
  9. ^ Dürbeck, Gabriele; Hüpkes, Philip, eds. (2021). Narratives of scale in the anthropocene: imagining human responsibility in an age of scalar complexity. Routledge interdisciplinary perspectives on literature. New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-367-68338-2.
  10. ^ Braidotti, Rosi; Hlavajova, Maria (2018). Posthuman glossary. Theory series. London: Bloomsbury academic. ISBN 978-1-350-03025-1.
  11. ^ Hanusch, Frederic (2023-12-07). "The Politics of Deep Time". Elements in Earth System Governance. doi:10.1017/9781108936606.
  12. ^ Beck, Ulrich (2016). The metamorphosis of the world. Cambridge Malden, MA: Polity. ISBN 978-0-7456-9021-6.
  13. ^ Bennett, Jane (2010). Vibrant Matter: A Political Ecology of Things. Duke University Press. doi:10.1215/9780822391623. ISBN 978-0-8223-4619-7.
  14. ^ Dryzek, John S.; Pickering, Jonathan (2018-12-06). The Politics of the Anthropocene. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780198809616.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-184689-2.
  15. ^ Biermann, Frank; Lövbrand, Eva, eds. (2019). Anthropocene Encounters: New Directions in Green Political Thinking. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108646673. ISBN 978-1-108-48117-5.
  16. ^ Burke, Anthony; Fishel, Stefanie (2020), Pereira, Joana Castro; Saramago, André (eds.), "Across Species and Borders: Political Representation, Ecological Democracy and the Non-Human", Non-Human Nature in World Politics: Theory and Practice, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 33–52, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-49496-4_3, ISBN 978-3-030-49496-4, retrieved 2024-09-20
  17. ^ Lawrence, Peter (2022). "Justifying Representation of Future Generations and Nature: Contradictory or Mutually Supporting Values?". Transnational Environmental Law. 11 (3): 553–579. doi:10.1017/S2047102522000176. ISSN 2047-1025.
  18. ^ Schlosberg, David (2007-05-01). Defining Environmental Justice: Theories, Movements, and Nature. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199286294.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-171332-3.
  19. ^ Eckersley, Robyn (2004-03-05). The Green State: Rethinking Democracy and Sovereignty. The MIT Press. doi:10.7551/mitpress/3364.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-262-27213-1.
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