With Nature at the center of decision-making

With Nature at the center of decision-making, it is part of the series of white papers from the Manuel Ballbé Chair of Human Security and Global Law, dedicated to exploring the potential of eco-systemic thinking. This work's main purpose is to analyze and propose a transition to an ecocentric decision-making model, based on Nature, from an approach that goes beyond the dominant anthropocentric paradigms in public policies, environmental regulation, global governance, and, in general, in public and private decision-making processes.

Starting with the recognition of the current ecological crisis, exacerbated by neoliberal policies, rampant extractivism, and the growing environmental inequality between the Global North and South, the reflections presented here, the result of my research processes, argue for the necessity of placing Nature at the center of all political, economic, and legal decisions (both public and private).

In this analysis, I invite the reader to reflect on the need to redefine the State–Society–Nature relationships, highlighting the interdependence between ecological health and human well-being as the essential basis for achieving true ecocentric security, grounded in a critical perspective that proposes an ecocentric model recognizing Nature's Rights and transforming environmental governance (and natural resources) through a polycentric approach, involving multiple levels and spaces of decision-making, ranging from collective action in local communities to global politics in international forums.

Regarding its content, this white paper begins with a look toward an ecocentric model for Nature-based decision-making, acknowledging the urgency to redefine the relationship between humanity and Nature and calling for a return to our history to increase awareness of our interdependence with the natural environment. I also present some reflections on the colonial past and current neocolonial dynamics and their environmental effects and impacts, as well as the risks to democracy and its relationship with the environment.

Finally, I put forward some ideas on how we should think about and design new policies and decision-making frameworks for the Anthropocene, from the perspectives of ecocentrism and ecological justice, a framework of principles that should be accompanied by profound processes of education and social awareness, allowing progress toward a sustainable and intergenerationally fair and equitable model, integrating ethical and ecological precepts into all spheres of human development and global environmental governance, ultimately, a new framework for action and decision-making based on Nature.

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