In contemporary society, environmental stewardship and climate change are pivotal for understanding the transformations defining our era. These issues extend beyond their ecological scope, intersecting with the ethical, political, and economic foundations of our ways of life. Increasing pressure on ecosystems, the unequal distribution of ecological impacts, and the urgent need to rethink development models compel us to envision new frameworks for society-nature relationships. These frameworks should prioritize not only efficiency but also equity, responsibility, and care.
This perspective requires moving beyond dichotomies that separate culture from environment or instrumental reason from ecological wisdom (understood as a holistic approach to human-nature interactions). Sustainable development cannot be reduced to a balance of technical variables. Instead, it should be seen as a guiding vision that demands collective deliberation, intergenerational justice, and openness to diverse knowledge systems. Discussions on energy transitions, circular economies, and environmental policies must integrate technical feasibility with democratic participation, recognition of affected communities, and equitable sharing of responsibilities and benefits.
The climate crisis, global in reach yet uneven in its impacts, underscores tensions between the Global North and South, scientific and traditional knowledge, and urgent priorities versus long-term transformation processes. Addressing these requires ecological governance models that operate across multiple decision-making scales. Such models must acknowledge the diversity of actors involved, along with their varying capacities and vulnerabilities. Environmental stewardship, in this context, is inseparable from social justice, territorial equity, and the protection of shared resources.
This thematic area invites research exploring the connections between climate change, ecological resilience, and social transformation through critical, interdisciplinary, and ethically grounded perspectives. We encourage contributions that blend theoretical frameworks with case studies, analyzing public policies, socio-environmental movements, technological innovations, or community-led initiatives related to ecological justice. Proposals that challenge dominant narratives about the environmental crisis and propose inclusive, resilient alternatives are particularly welcome.
To guide these reflections, we propose the following key questions:
1. What ethical and political frameworks can reshape human-nature relationships amid the climate crisis?
2. How can scientific knowledge be integrated with ancestral and community-based insights in environmental policy design?
3. How can climate justice and social equity be aligned within energy transition processes?
4. What tensions arise between economic viability, ecological resilience, and territorial fairness?
5. What forms of participation, deliberation, and governance are needed for a just ecological transformation?
This thematic area welcomes research addressing environmental stewardship and climate change through critical and interdisciplinary lenses, rooted in ethical reflection. Special consideration will be given to studies examining public policy, governance structures, social mobilization, or local ecological transitions. We also value work that questions prevailing narratives and envisions new pathways toward environmental justice, resilience, and intergenerational equity. Rather than treating sustainable development as a fixed concept, we encourage exploration of its multiple dimensions, internal tensions, and potential to redefine society-nature relationships in the twenty-first century.
