Ciudadanía ambiental y agroecología Rutas para la sustentabilidad ambiental

Abstract

The contemporary environmental crisis, which some consider to be the failure of a model of civilization and of a form of relationship of man with nature, based on the exploitation of the latter, has led to the state of affairs where an increasing variety of social and political actors are becoming interested in and concerned with the crisis, and are looking for alternatives which would make environmental sustainability possible. This article analyzes the role that environmental citizenship and agro ecology play in the construction of a sustainable society. It was found that the concept of environmental citizenship acquires relevance and pertinence when it assumes ethical and political commitment in order to radically modify the patterns of life and consumption, which is necessary in order to overcome the environmental crisis. It was also found that agro ecology, in its three dimensions (technical-scientific, socioeconomic, and ethical-political) is the most robust route to carry out this task. Likewise, it was found that environmental citizenship goes beyond the accomplishment of duties and rights, as decreed by the liberal and republican tradition, and that environmental problems – which have a global connotation – elicit an attitude of responsible commitment and participation on the part of the citizens, which is evidenced in the agro ecological stakes. It concludes that environmental citizenship and agro ecology are expressions which ostensibly contribute to the construction of new, qualitatively distinct forms of relationship between society and nature.