Who can own nature? And other questions of belonging...
But who really owns land and nature? Humans have no more self-evident rights than grass, trees, and squirrels, not to speak of fungi and bacteria. Property, the conceit that state-backed human social relations give us absolute rights over things, does not go far in the realms of land and nature, where people can never fully be in charge.
What people can share is not absolute rights over land and nature but the knowledge, affect, and social relations involved in living with them.
Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, Empire’s salvage heart: Why diversity matters in the global political economy, 2012
Invitations to contemplate these words and play with your thoughts
What captured our attention
What if “Nature” does not exist
What if we acknowledge our relations with every entity
What if we invent an ecosystemic economy
What do you think?
Where does Europe begin and Where does Europe end
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Imagine an Ecosystemic Europe
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Cross Idea
Well, where does the Danube has its origin?
It seems that, against the age-old controversies between specialists, it stems from the source of the river Breg, but the water that irrigates the meadow from which the Breg rises comes from a pipe, planted straight into the ground.
An old woman who l …
What if we invent an ecosystemic economy
Who really owns land and nature? For centuries, this question went unasked; it seemed obvious that certain people held rights over specific territories. However, when we start considering the issue, the question of ownership becomes both relevant and legitimate. Why should it be legal to own land? Is it simply because we conquer, occupy, purchase, or declare it ours? In most contracts, all parties have a voice, a saying. Why, then, shouldn’t non-human entities—like plants, animals, or the land itself—have a say as well? When we start exploring these questions, we recognize a need to rethink our relationship with nature in new and innovative ways, such as viewing it as part of our social relations. This line of thinking might inspire fresh approaches to engaging with the land we live on and depend upon, perhaps through agreements that bind ownership to principles of sharing and care, while preventing one-sided exploitation.
