Ecoswaraj: Rights of Nature & the Flower of Transformation

Presentation on radical transformations towards ecological and social justice, incorporating human and nature rights, building on amazing grounded initiatives in various parts of the world. Presented to Rights of Nature course, Azim Premji University, Bengaluru, 23.3.2024

1. Eco-swaraj: Rights of Nature and the Flower of Transformation Ashish Kothari Kalpavriksh / Vikalp Sangam / Global Tapestry of Alternatives

2. Current flashpoint: Ladakh Karma Sonam Needs constitutional safeguards to protect ecology, culture, livelihoods

3. Multiple , intersecting crises Ecological : biodiversity, climate, pollution ; alienation from nature Socio-economic : inequality, deprivation Political : conflicts, authoritarianism Cultural : colonisation & homogeni z ation of cultures, knowledge, faiths, languages Personal : depression, meaninglessness , alienation from roots/place/space Anon Anon

4. Delhi, 1978-79 Campaign to protect Delhi Ridge forest Protest against hunting by Saudi Arabian princes

5. Tehri Garhwal, 1980-81: travelling through Chipko movement area

6. Narmada: struggle to save a river valley 1983-onwards ‘Development or Destruction?’

7. India’s Impressive Growth 5 th largest economy of world, high growth rates, a billion mobile connections …

8. ‘Development’: the religion of economic growth Violence against nature, communities, cultures, & individuals … from livelihoods to deadlihoods

9. Growth-based ‘development’ is inherently unsustainable Several planetary boundaries already crossed We are already at 1.5XEarth Runaway climate change is at our doorstep Stockholm Resilience Centre

10. 1% richest own 70% wealth!!!! Growing inequities, deprivation 60 million people displaced by ‘development’ projects

11. Shrinking democracy Govt/corporate crackdown on dissent: ‘anti-development’, ‘anti-national’, ‘terrorist’, ‘sedition’, ’urban naxal ’ e.g. 2021: targeting of youth environment / labour activists in India

12. Are there alternative ways to meet human needs & aspirations? Yes, of two kinds … Below the Volcano, by Ashish Kothari

13. Systemic alternatives include resistance … (to capitalism, state domination, patriarchy, racism, human- centredness , etc ) … other ways of being, knowing, doing, dreaming – the river as ‘our mother’

14. Youth protests against destructive mining, industries, highways, ports

15. ‘Solutions’ that sustain profit-making and domination: Technofixes, market mechanisms, green growth, geoengineering, net-zero … ‘ sustainable development ’ Example: electric cars: are they sustainable?

16. India: alternative initiatives for well-being Water Crafts Shelter Food Energy Governance Livelihoods Conservation Village revitalisation Urban sustainability Learning Health Producer companies Inclusion Sexuality Gender

17. Commons Solidarity economy Degrowth Buen vivir / sumaq kawsay / kametsu asaike Ubuntu / ukama / unhu Ecofeminism Agroecology / permaculture Biocivilisation Ecosocialism Zapatista Kurdish Rojava Kyosei Country Transition Nayakrishi Agaciro GNH Agdal Swaraj ICCAs Food / energy sovereignty Worker-owned production Climate justice Constructive alternatives across the world

18. Empowering dalit women farmers: collectives, land rights Reviving traditional agricultural diversity / practices (millets) Creating community grain banks COVID: contributing to district relief food supplies Deccan Development Society, India: conservation, equity, food sovereignty, livelihood security

19. Seeds and earth as sacred …

20. Maha Gram Sabha, Gadchiroli (Mah) Stop mining! Federation of 90 villages Aims : sustainable livelihoods, forest rights & conservation, self-governance built on traditions of decision-making, women’s empowerment, cultural identity

21. The Zapatista revolution: governance without a state Principles Lead by obeying Propose, don’t impose Represent, don’t replace Resist power Convince, don’t defeat Everything for everyone, nothing for ourselves Construct, don’t destroy

22. Community led ecotourism, Himalaya Maati Sangathan : Women’s empowerment through nature-based livelihoods Devalsari Paryavaran Samiti: Youth empowerment through ecotourism Himalayan homestays in Ladakh (SLC-IT), Spiti

23. Territories of Life (ICCAs): respecting nature, securing livelihoods, democratic governance www.iccaconsortium.org

24. Solidarity / commons economy, alternative currencies, open software / knowledge commons Viome - worker-run factory, Thessoliniki Time-banking at neighbourhood school, Athens, Greece Beki local currency, Biekerech, Luxembourg gASTEWERKe commune, Germany

25. ‘ ’Homes in the City’, Bhuj ( Kachchh , Gujarat) self-reliance in water (India’s lowest rainfall) solid waste management and sanitation re- commoning of spaces livelihoods, dignified housing for the poor ( Hunnarshala , Sahjeevan , Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan , ACT, Setu ) Right to a Sustainable City

26. Other urban actions … Lake revival / conservation, water harvesting, garbage management (Bengaluru, Salem) Participatory budgeting (Bengaluru/Pune) Zero-waste retail (Goa)

27. COVID-time resilience -community mobilization and collective rights: 100 examples

28. Learning / education : rooted in cultures & ecologies, creative, fun, combining head-heart-hand-feet … learning from nature Adharshila , Jeevanshala , SECMOL, Imli-Mahua , Marudam , Bhoomi , KFI scholls , Beeja (India) Multiversities / pluriversities (several countries) Zapatista autonomous schools (Mexico) Forest schools (Czech Republic) and many more …          Skhole = leisure!

29. Technology by/for/with/of people Technological innovations to reduce ecological impact, under democratic people’s control ( malkha cotton weaving, AP; Hunnarshala housing, Kachchh; Solar passive architecture, Ladakh; open source software e.g. Linux)

30. Alternative Media, Communications, Arts Freedom from govt & corporate control: Community radio (>150); FM? Mobile-based ( CGNetSwara , Chhattisgarh ) Movement newsletters, folk theatre Film/video ( Video Volunteers ) Internet ( Scroll, Wire, Infochange , India Together … ) ‘Social’ networks … virtual communities Pic: Puroshottam Thakur

31. What frameworks of transformation emerge from grounded alternatives? ‘Double rainbow’ by Ashish Kothari

32. Ecological resilience & wisdom (rights of nature, conservation) Radical democracy (direct citizens’ power, accountable representative institutions, ecoregional governance, borderless world) Economic democracy (producer sovereignty, localised self-reliance, caring/sharing, commons) Social justice & wellbeing (justice, equity of genders, ethnicities, castes …) Culture & knowledge diversity (new learning, knowledge commons, celebrating creativity, cultural co-existence, spiritual deepening) Flower of transformation: 5 spheres of systemic alternatives VALUES

33. RADICAL POLITICS, ECONOMICS & JUSTICE Direct/radical democracy : decisions in hands of people everywhere (“in our village, we are the government”): people’s assemblies, referendums Bioregional/ biocultureregional governance : beyond nation-state Localisation & democratisation of economy , self-reliance, caring & sharing , commons, worker-owned production, qualitative indicators of well-being beyond growth and GDP Social justice and well-being: struggles for human rights - gender equality, castelessness , anti-racism, etc Cultural / knowledge diversity : decolonial approaches, commons

34. RADICAL ECOLOGY Re-integrating ourselves within nature , respecting its integrity … recognizing the commonality of spirit Unknown artist

35. Respecting rest of nature ( ethical / spiritual / rights ) Conservation of ecosystems, species SUSTAINING RELATIONSHIP WITH/IN NATURE Poorva Goel

36. Can we think of bioregional governance of South Asia, beyond boundaries? Bioregionalism as an intersectional approach Ecological resilience & wisdom Radical democracy Economic democracy Social justice & wellbeing Culture & knowledge diversity

37. Ecological resilience & wisdom Does it lead to better conservation of nature? Radical democracy Does it aid in greater people’s voice in decision-making; are non-humans also given a voice? Economic democracy Does it empower the marginalized? Does it strengthen economy of caring & sharing? Social justice & wellbeing Does it reduce inequalities and discriminations? Culture & knowledge diversity Is it based on diverse cultures and knowledge systems? Does it help sustain or revive spiritual connections within nature? Evaluating ‘rights of nature’ using Flower of Transformation

38. Ecological resilience & wisdom (rights of nature, conservation) Radical democracy (direct citizens’ power, accountable representative institutions, borderless world) Economic democracy (producer sovereignty, localised self-reliance, caring/sharing , commons ) Social justice & wellbeing (justice, equity of genders, ethnicities, castes …) Culture & knowledge diversity (new learning, knowledge commons, celebrating creativity) What binds these petals together? What is at the core of transformations? VALUES

39. Diversity and pluralism (of ideas, knowledge, ecologies, economies, ideologies, polities, cultures…) Self-reliance for basic needs Self-governance / autonomy Cooperation , collectivity , solidarity, commons, conviviality Rights with responsibilities of meaningful participation Dignity & creativity of labour Qualitative pursuit of happiness Equity / justice / inclusion Simplicity / sufficiency / enoughness Rights of nature / respect for all life forms Non-violence, peace, harmony Reciprocity and interconnectedness Fun! WORLDVIEWS THAT CELEBRATE LIFE! Values & principles of transformative alternatives ….

40. Eco- swaraj / Prakritik swaraj : Radical ecological democracy ( Radical = going to the roots) achieving human well-being , through: empowering all citizens & communities to participate in decision-making ensuring socio-economic equity & justice responsibility towards all of nature Community (at various levels) as basic unit of organisation , not state or private corporation

41. Pre/Post-development or well-being worldviews from elsewhere … a pluriverse Indigenous peoples’ territorial struggles and notions of well-being buen vivir : sumak kawsay (Andes), suma qamana (Bolivia), kume mongen (Chile), kamatse asaike (Peru) ubuntu (S. Africa), umuntu (Uganda), ukama (Zimbabwe), eti uwem (W. Africa) kyosei (Japan), sentipensar , minobattsiiwiin (native American), country (aboriginal Australia) Roots & radical re-interpretations of major religions Degrowth , Commons, Solidarity economy, Biocivilisation , Ecosocialism , Ecofeminism …

42. Outscaling , not upscaling / multiplying , not replicating Resistance + constructive alternatives Networking, solidarity, co-learning to achieve critical mass Local to global connect Advocacy for policy shifts: transitions towards transformation Collective visioning Scale : how can these alternatives achieve macro-change?

43. Vikalp Sangams (Alternatives Confluences): collaborations, cross-learning, collective visioning of future

44. Vikalp Sangams (regional) Andhra Pradesh: Oct 2014 Tamil Nadu: Feb 2015 Ladakh: July 2015, Sept 2021 Maharashtra: October 2015 Kachchh : July 2016 W. Himalaya: Aug 2016 Kerala: April 2017 Madhya Pradesh: Sept 2017 West Himalaya: Nov. 2018, Oct 2021 (thematic) Energy democracy: March 2016 Food sovereignty: 2016 & 2017 Youth: 2017-2022 National: Nov 2017 Peace in conflict areas: June 2018 Health: June 2018 Well-being: 2019-2022 Democracy/ swaraj , Oct 2019 Economies, Jan 2020 Worldviews, Nov 2022

45. Youth Vikalp Sangam … an ongoing process

46. www.vikalpsangam.org one stop place for stories of hope & transformation

47. Confluences of resistance and alternatives across world Sharing, exchanges, collaborations Collective advocacy & solidarity Collective visioning of a just world … & how to get there! Global Tapestry of Alternatives Tejida Global de Alternativas https:// globaltapestryofalternatives.org

48. Radical alternative practices & worldviews across world - 100 essays Alternative visioning & case studies from India: political, social, cultural, economic, ecological

49. For more information www.vikalpsangam.org www.globaltapestryofalternatives.org www.radicalecologicaldemocracy.org Email: [email protected] Ploori -verse, by Ashish Kothari