WISE-World Institute for Society and the Environment
Nature-Centrism
Revolutionizing Humanity's Relationship with the Earth: Embracing Nature-Centrism
Humanity is struggling with unprecedented environmental challenges affecting each one of us. The time is overdue for all of us to radically transform our relationship with the Earth.
Climate change, biodiversity loss, species extinctions, ecosystems collapses, and natural resource shortages, all of which are also causing the degradation of human welfare, demand urgent and innovative solutions.
Importantly, these crises are not restricted only to the environment in some distant place far off in the future for another generation to deal with. The data are demonstrably clear: Global authorities conclude these systemic ‘polycrises’ are “irrefutable”, are being caused by all of us, and are the greatest existential threats to the world today and for the foreseeable future [1].
These crises are severely impacting all aspects of our society (e.g., economic, social, governing, geopolitical, and industrial systems, etc.) in every nation for every person, species, and ecosystem on Earth. Therefore, they are “inextricably connected with each other and human futures”[2].
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A New Vision for a New World…
There is hope and an opportunity to transform these crises into a more healthy, just and equitable world. By weaving Nature-centrism into the fabric of our society, we can create a world where the health of our biosphere, Nature and society are not mutually exclusive or aspirational, but a fundamental reality in our everyday lives [3].
Nature-Centrism in Brief
Nature-centrism is a paradigm that prioritizes the Earth, biodiversity and ecosystems at the core of human and societal values, choices and decision-making. It encompasses both ecocentrism and biocentrism and is rooted in the intrinsic value, sanctity, and absolute respect of Nature and nonhuman species, along with the essential principles of interconnectedness, interdependence, balance, mutualism and inter-being among humanity, society and the natural world.
​Reality Check
The fundamental reality is that our existence, wellbeing, and prosperity are inextricably dependent on biodiversity and the health of Nature and the biosphere. We must shift our priorities to respecting, protecting, and restoring Nature in our values, choices, policies, and actions. In doing so, we will be insuring a healthier, just, and equitable world for people, our society, and all life on Earth today and long into the future, particularly for the most vulnerable people, communities and species.
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Transitioning to a New Paradigm
Nature is a fundamental right. Transitioning to a Nature-centric world calls on all of us to transform our personal, economic, social, governing, educational, industrial and other societal systems. This transformation requires a holistic approach that integrates the principles of Nature-centrism into every aspect of our lives and society. It requires us to shift from an anthropocentric, individualistic and exploitative mindset to one that places the health of Nature and the biosphere at the center of our values, choices, and lives and embraces our global responsibility, stewardship, and mutual reciprocity with the Earth.
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Soul Craft
We Must Restore the Essence of Our Humanity
The world needs each of us to revolutionize our relationship with the Earth. We can awaken our humanity, reclaim our vision to end these crises and embrace the courage to engage in a fundamental transformation of our values – individually and across society. The world needs us to convert these crises into opportunities for a new paradigm.
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It Begins With Soul Craft and a Shift in Values Within Each of Us
Our personal transformations generate broader cultural change, which consequently leads to wider changes and collective action across society to create a healthier world.
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We Can – And We Must – Fall Back In Love With the Earth
We have the innate ability to ignite our hope, passion and capacity to unify our collective vision, courage, and action. When we do, it will guide us on a path of grace to transform ourselves and solve these most significant crises in human history.
Innovations for a Sustainable Future
To address these serious environmental crises facing the world, we must harness cutting-edge innovations that can transform such challenges into opportunities. These advancements have the potential to revolutionize our approach to climate change, biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and human welfare.
Climate Solutions: New and emerging technologies can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change. We all must support innovations to pave the way for a low-carbon future.
Biodiversity Conservation: Biodiversity is both the fabric and engine of life on Earth. Without it, none of us could exist, nor our economy, businesses, industries, lifestyles, or society. Biodiversity is also crucial for maintaining ecosystem resilience and stability for the biosphere and every one of us. Protected areas, ecosystem restoration, biodiversity and endangered species conservation, rewilding, wildlife and biodiversity corridors, innovative legislation, community-based conservation areas, and other Nature-based solutions are essential for fostering and protecting biodiversity to support us and our only home.
Human Welfare: The well-being of humanity and all of our societal systems are deeply intertwined with and fully dependent on the health of biodiversity and the biosphere. Innovative approaches to not only mitigating but transforming the biodiversity, climate, ecosystem and natural resource crises into opportunities for a healthier and stable biosphere will naturally improve human wellbeing and enable humanity and our society to flourish. Nature-centric, just and equitable urban planning, cities, infrastructure, transportation, green industries, ecologically-based closed-loop economies, transforming human settlements into havens of sustainability, and other solutions, will naturally enhance our society and the welfare of people and the environment.
Mainstreaming and Weaving Nature into the Fabric of Society
To realize the vision of a healthier, just and equitable world, we must embed and mainstream Nature-centrism into the core of our societal and cultural frameworks. This involves restructuring our educational systems, legal frameworks, governing, economic systems, business and industrial practices, consumer choices, policies, laws, choices, and cultural narratives that fully integrate Nature-centric values and principles.
Education
Education plays an important role in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of us today and for future generations. By incorporating Nature-centric education into curricula at all levels, we can create an enduring responsibility for and bond with the natural world. Nature-centric curricula and programs include Nature-based experiential learning, ecological literacy, community engagement, vocations, technological innovations, and more that can create a healthier, just and equitable world for all life on Earth.
Legal and Policy Reforms
Robust legal and policy frameworks are necessary to safeguard the environment, promote sustainability, and incentivize Nature-centric practices, policies and laws. Governments, policy-makers and other entities can create new Nature-centered legislation, global ethics, constitutions, Bill of Rights, and shared responsibility, restoration and Preventative Care Systems for the biosphere.
Cultural Shift
Cultural Change Begins With a Shift of the Heart
Cultural change begins within each of us on personal levels and leads to community, civic, and broader societal changes. It happens when millions of people come together with a unified value and voice resonating deep within the heart of society to heal the world.
A fundamental cultural shift is required within each of us, our communities, and across nations to embed Nature-centrism into our value systems and collective consciousness. Prioritizing success and societal progress based on ecological health and well-being rather than economic growth is the only avenue we now have with limited time to mitigate and transform these crises into opportunities. These value shifts can occur through socially and culturally sensitive media, advocacy campaigns, public outreach, education, arts, and storytelling, among others, all of which can play powerful roles in inspiring and mobilizing us to proactively transform our values and take action to create a healthier, just and equitable world for all life on Earth.
Call to Action
Our transformation as a society to a Nature-centric world is both ambitious and necessary. It demands individual and collective action, innovation, and a steadfast commitment to the intrinsic value of Nature, ecological health, and a more just and equitable world. By embracing Nature-centrism, we can transform the climate, biodiversity, and human welfare crises into opportunities for healthy and balanced life on Earth.
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While our individual values, choices, actions, and relationships with Nature are extremely important and pivotal to the world, ultimately we must address the state of the planet holistically on both individual and collective levels. Join us in seizing this moment to revolutionize our relationship with the planet and create an unbreakable bond with Nature and a legacy of communal responsibility and stewardship today and for future generations.
The time to act is now, and the path for a healthy future begins inside each one of us. As Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh [4] so eloquently calls on us:
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© Julie Roggow Photography
“We need to wake up and fall in love with Earth.
Only when we’ve truly fallen back in love with the Earth
will our actions spring from reverence and the insight of our interconnectedness…
Look around you –
What you see is not your environment,
it is you…
You are the Earth.”
"One Body" © Eli Rogers 2025
References
[1] Global authorities with expert reports on this or similar conclusions include, among many others:
Climate Change Institute, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Copernicus, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) UK, European Space Agency, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Global Environmental Facility (GEF), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), International Monetary Fund (IMF), Institute of Atmospheric Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Expert Group, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), IUCN World Conservation Congress, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Center for Atmospheric Research, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Science Foundation’s (NSF), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House), United Nations, World Economic Forum (WEF), World Bank, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and others.
[2] IPBES-IPCC. (2021). Scientific Outcome of the IPBES-IPCC Co-Sponsored Workshop on Biodiversity and Climate Change. Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Secretariat, Bonn, Germany and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Switzerland. 234 pp.
[3] Augeri, D.M. (2025). Revolutionizing Our Relationship With The Earth: A WISE Approach to Transforming the Climate, Biodiversity and Human Welfare Crises. In press. 474 pp.
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[4] Hanh, T.N. (2015). Statement on Climate Change to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). https://plumvillage.org/about/thich-nhat-hanh/letters/thich-nhat-hanhs-statement-on-climate-change-for-unfccc.