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Planetary well-being

2024

Tensions between the well-being of present humans, future humans, and nonhuman nature manifest in social protests and political and academic debates over the future of Earth. The increasing consumption of natural resources no longer increases, let alone equalizes, human well-being, but has led to the current ecological crisis and harms both human and nonhuman well-being. While the crisis has been acknowledged, the existing conceptual frameworks are in some respects ill-equipped to address the crisis in a way that would link the resolving of the crisis with the pivotal aim of promoting equal well-being. The shortcomings of the existing concepts in this respect relate to anthropocentric norma…

Planetary well-being : Ontology and ethics

2024

This chapter elaborates the ontological and ethical underpinnings and implications of the concept of planetary well-being. We illustrate how planetary well-being can contribute conceptually to transformative thinking and discussing well-being, and to organizing human societies in more life-considerate ways. The chapter focuses on two themes: First, the ontological grounding and implications of planetary well-being, and second, the central ethical underpinnings and ramifications of planetary well-being. We demonstrate how planetary well-being is positioned in the broader ontological and ethical-theoretical landscape, owing to its process-oriented perspective and morally inclusive (non-anthro…

Soil processes are constituents of planetary well-being

2024

Soils play multiple roles in vital ecosystem processes, even though they form only a thin layer between Earth’s atmosphere and lithosphere. Soils are reservoirs of carbon, most nutrients and fresh water while acting as a substrate for plants, a site for decomposition processes, and a sink for harmful substances. The decomposition of dead organic matter and the associated recycling of nutrients are a prerequisite for photosynthesis by green plants and, therefore, for all life forms on Earth. Without healthy soils, the integrity of the Earth system cannot be maintained in the future. Soils are highly diverse habitats, inhabited by both structurally and functionally diversified organisms. Howe…

Ecosystem health and planetary well-being

2024

Healthy ecosystems support the well-being of all organisms on Earth. Yet, the overexploitation of natural resources for human needs and profit has resulted in widespread ecosystem degradation, loss of biodiversity, and climate emergency, which pose fundamental threats to planetary well-being. Impoverished ecosystems may become dysfunctional and fail to provide for the needs of many organisms, including humans and wildlife. Changes in ecosystem functioning and wildlife distributions affect the prevalence and spread of pathogens, with consequences for the health and well-being of human and wildlife communities alike. Increasing contact between humans and domestic and wild animals enable patho…

Extinction risk indices for measuring and promoting planetary well-being

2024

The concept of planetary well-being, which stresses the persistence of lineages in ecosystems, is intimately linked to species extinction risk. Avoiding extinctions is a moral issue, as wiping out the outcomes of eons of evolutionary history and their future potential is clearly unconscionable. The concept of planetary well-being is also systemic: It is understood that species, as integral parts of ecosystems, are vital for the well-being of all systems on Earth. Yet, despite international agreements to protect biodiversity, global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation has continued unimpeded over the past decades. We review the role of goals and targets in the UN Convention on Biolog…

Local knowledge and global justice : From hegemonic development to planetary well-being

2024

This chapter discusses the relationship between critical development studies and planetary well-being, showing how the former can add insights to the latter to build a comprehensive theory. Critical development studies is introduced as a field of study, which provides tools to uncover hidden power dynamics and ecologically destructive patterns in contemporary development. Development is analysed as a particular model of the good life, a societal programme, an epistemological system of power, and a global governance system. Using insights from critical development studies, the chapter points out differences between sustainable development and planetary well-being, noting that sustainable dev…

Planetary well-being as a strategic goal : The University of Jyväskylä pursues Green Campus polices

2023

Towards cultural transformation : Culture as planetary well-being

2024

Culture covers myriad aspects of human life. Most often it is understood as intellectual or artistic practices, but in a broader view, culture covers the habits, lifestyles, traditions, beliefs, values, and worldviews that shape human lives and societies. Culture also undergoes continuous change and is affected by human actions. Current ecological and well-being crises caused by destructive cultural practices and actions pose an existential risk to both humans and nonhumans. This chapter argues that when challenging, preventing, and changing such destructive human practices and actions, the role of culture is indispensable. Building on and rethinking cultural sustainability, the chapter out…

Consumption and planetary well-being

2024

This chapter considers sustainable marketing and consumption from the perspective of planetary well-being (PW). While marketing is commonly associated with unsustainability, sustainable marketing can create, communicate, and deliver value to consumers in ways that ensure and restore the urgent needs of nature. Sustainable consumption at the acceptable threshold of disturbance on needs satisfaction globally requires critical reflection on the current norms and practices alongside thoughtful solutions for guiding action. The firstpart of the chapter presents the problematization of marketing and consumption against sustainability from the PW angle. It critically discusses the drivers of and b…

Eudaimonia and temperance : A pathway to a flourishing life

2024

The concept of planetary well-being rests on the idea that since human activities are among the root causes of the ecological crisis threatening the well-being of human and nonhuman nature, accordingly, solutions lie in transforming human behaviour and shifting the prevailing paradigm towards embracing enhanced visions of the “good life.” The ongoing ecological crisis has evoked profound questions regarding the nature of the good life, requiring consciousness and reflection of scholars’ paradigmatic worldviews. This chapter adopts the lenses of transformative consumer research (TCR) and positive psychology, emphasizing individual, societal, and environmental well-being—challenging the assum…