Those best able to tell us what the environmental future must look like are the least equipped to talk about belonging. And the populist parties best able to conjure a sense of belonging seem determined to ignore warnings of environmental catastrophe.
In this context, the Ecology and Belonging Theme Group seeks an understanding of belonging that is 1) deep enough to connect people to the environment; 2) powerful enough to draw support from across the political spectrum; and 3) open to newcomers.
To do so, we take a bold turn: we draw together experts on ecology and belonging whose specialist knowledge speaks to the diverse groups that must be addressed. On the one hand, the technocratic left; indigenous peoples; decolonial perspectives; and deep ecology. On the other, European conservatives; and the radical right;
A deep question will pervade our discussions: must any conception of belonging be diluted to include newcomers, or can we conceive belonging in a way that is simultaneously deeply meaningful and radically open?
