From the One Earth blog, looking at the wider eco-movement:
Solarpunk recognizes the sheer complexity of the challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss. As such, the movement leaves space for “appropriate technology”: innovation that is driven by a genuine commitment to preserving and enhancing both human and ecological well-being. Solarpunk maintains that the impulse for progress and innovation remains a powerful motivating force. However, it seeks to redefine progress, shifting the focus from the narrow pursuit of maximizing profit to optimizing the intertwined well-being of humanity and the environment. It also champions the intelligence of Indigenous knowledge, the wisdom of diverse cultures, and recognizes the profound lessons that nature, as the original inventor, can teach us.
All this being the case, contrary to popular belief, the ecological movement will actually require a shift toward more complex and more technologically, philosophically, and culturally advanced societies. Philosopher Bruno Latour, in his book “Down to Earth,” eloquently captures the essence of this perspective: “There is nothing more innovative, present, subtle, technical… nothing more creative, nothing more contemporary than [living within the boundaries of our Earth system as it actually exists].”
Solarpunk: Refuturing our Imagination for an Ecological Transformation | One Earth
And from the Grist blog, giving a practical example from Washington DC:
“There are so many components of the planetary crisis that are really abstract, or are difficult to see yourself as actually integral to the solution,” Bull said. “But biodiversity renewal really has to play out at a yard-by-yard level. It has to play out by individual actions.”
“We framed the challenge as a response to the biodiversity crisis, but also as an invitation to be creative and to create habitat and to create space for humans to connect with the more-than-human world,” Bull said. Above all, she and her team wanted the projects to be fun — and to help students feel empowered to participate in solutions. “The solarpunk orientation is recognizing that things are bad. There’s so much cause for grief, despair, anxiety, whatever. But nevertheless, we’re actually just being asked to care more for our communities and to reintegrate ourselves into relationship with the Earth and our local ecosystems.”
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