Abstract
I argue that Ubuntu as a philosophy that emphasizes the interconnectedness of all living things and importance of community and mutual support, can be used as a social framework to address the problems of climate change and promote environmental sustainability. I demonstrate that Ubuntu is an ideological concept that encourages collective action on climate change, with the emphasis on individual and collective commitment to taking concrete action to address the problems of climate change. Etymologically, the term “Ubuntu” is from the Bantu languages of southern Africa, which is frequently translated as “humanity” or “human kindness. It is based on the knowledge that an individual’s well-being is inseparably linked to the well-being of the community as a whole. Thus, the work would show that Ubuntu can be employed as a social tool that would enhance the cultivation of shared identity and promote the sense of shared response responsibility to develop the resilience to cope with climate change. The study demonstrates the imperative of mutual support and cooperation through the lens of Ubuntu as a human-centered scalable response to the debacle of climate change. I use analytical, critical, and evaluative tools in addressing the topic.
Presenters
Gabriel AyayiaStudent, MS Environmental Science/Applied Ethics, Oregon State University, Oregon, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
Technical, Political, and Social Responses
KEYWORDS
UBUNTU, SHARED RESPONSIBILITY
