May 24-25, 2024 - Claremont ECO Forum is having an in-person forum: The Great Turning: Towards an Ecological Civilization Aiming at the Common Good of Humanity and Nature at Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, This will be the 17th International Forum on Ecological Civilization and the 6th International Youth Forum on Ecological Civilization. Register here.
From their website: "The Claremont Eco Forum (a.k.a. the International Forum on Ecological Civilization) continues to be one of the largest forums on ecological civilization in the world. Since 2006, this annual forum has drawn together a global cohort of creative academics, activists, artists, non-profit leaders, and governmental officials dedicated to rethinking our society toward an ecological civilization."
Co-sponsors of the Forum are:
Having recently watched the movie, Oppenheimer, one is keenly aware of the perils of even suggesting that any ideas about sustainability, which may be tangentially associated with socialism or communism, have any merits to be considered. The current political rhetoric in the United States continues to polarize the evils of such consideration. Yet, we live in a world where our economies and societies are increasingly interrelated, so understanding, if not full cooperation, is essential to world peace and security.
"Only if China and India (as well as America) soon start to make the postmodern turn does our planet have hope." ~ David Ray Griffin
According to Wikipedia "David Ray Griffin (1939-2022) was an American professor of philosophy of religion and theology... Along with John B. Cobb, Jr., he founded the Center for Process Studies in 1973, a research center of the Claremont School of Theology that promotes process thought.
Griffin was also a 9/11 conspiracy theorist and published numerous books about the September 11 attacks, claiming that elements of the Bush administration were involved." You may judge whether Griffin's interests in conspiracy and parapsychology discredit the soundness of his process thoughts.
Similarly, you may judge whether Chinese thought about eco-civilization resonates at all with truth. The reader may want to check out the Practice Model of Xi Jinping Thought on Ecological Civilization (2022) for "answers to... theoretical and practical questions as to why to build an ecological civilization, what the goal is and how to achieve it."
I believe it is more important to understand alternative perspectives than to merely villainize and dismiss them. Do you find any merit in these "six principles that must be upheld in promoting ecological progress"?
"Man and nature should coexist in harmony.
Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.
A good ecological environment is the most accessible welfare for the people.
The mountains, rivers, forests, farmlands, lakes, and grasslands are a life community.
The strictest regulations and laws must be applied in protecting the environment.
Joint efforts must be made in building a global ecological civilization."