Environmental Peace: Getting closer to a holistic concept of peace.

Illustration ? OpEPA

Today we face major challenges for humanity. In Colombia these challenges touch all the basic fibers of survival and respect for life.

We live in a mega-diverse country which contains more species of wildlife per square foot than any other country in the world, being the second richest in biodiversity second to Brazil. Our natural resources have been generators of economic wealth through the exploitation of the products of nature. Unfortunately inadequate use of nature is putting the lives of living beings that inhabit the planet in danger, including humans. Many species have disappeared, the ability of ecosystems to regulate climate, pests and provide environmental services such as clean water and food have been adversely affected.

In the cultural sphere the situation is not very different, with more than 86 ethnic groups and 24 linguistic groups, the richness of cultural diversity in Colombia is extremely important even without considering regionalisms. This great diversity creates additional challenges in communication, coexistence, differences of thought and access to resources. Adding to this complexity, greed and an aggressive global economy results in conflict and hinders the creation of a peaceful society.

The Concept
Traditionally, building peace is understood as an issue involving human beings and requiring an active commitment to positive change in society which manifests itself in many ways: support, inclusion, recognition and decision making for justice.

Many agree that peace building involves people connecting across different cultures, ages, races, social classes, languages and nationalities. In this sense, peace building requires empathy, respect, and intercultural sensitivity and implies that we seek to understand and respect the perspectives and experiences of others and work collaboratively to improve our capacity to live in community. However, there is a fundamental issue that usually is excluded from the discourse of peace: the ability of human beings to respect the environment and live in harmony with nature, to be empathic to living beings different to the human kind.

Including this component is critical, not only because future conflicts will increasingly have their roots in disputes over natural resources diminished by mankind, but because the experience of living in a healthy relationship with Earth can be an inspiring and powerful one helping to form conscious, responsible humans participating in a more peaceful and inclusive society.

Environmental Peace is proposed as an approach to the concept of peace that transcends human relations towards a view of relationships between all living beings.

This broadening of concept seeks to allow us to generate sustainable and peaceful communities where the idea of respect for life is applied comprehensively creating structures of thought and action conducive to a greater quality of life. Environmental Peace bets on promoting the concept of unity and wholeness, where we are all interconected and our actions affect this great living ecosystem.

This approach allows to address issues from several angles:

1. Use environmental issues as common ground for the solution of human conflicts.
2. Nature as a neutral stage for conflict resolution.
3. Generate opportunities where people and specially youth can find common ground to work together and improve their environment (natural and human).
4. Facilitate significant life experiences in kids and youth that allow them to learn by doing and develop skills necessary for their participation in the construction of a peaceful society.

This conception of peace is not only applicable to countries like Colombia. I believe it is the basic foundation to build sustainable societies that can live in harmony with the natural world and with each other, a fundamental and necessary condition in order to envision a future in times of human and climatic uncertainty.

#EnvironmentalPeace :: #PazAmbiental

.LAC