Children of a Modest Star: Planetary Thinking for an Age of Crises

It challenges dominant ways of thinking about humanity's relationship to the planet and proposes a new framework that corresponds to our inherently planetary condition. Blake and Gilman argue that it is essential to reimagine our governing institutions in light of the fact that we can only thrive if the multi-species ecosystems we inhabit are also flourishing.

Format: Hardback
Length: 326 pages
Publication date: 23 April 2024
Publisher: Stanford University Press

The book challenges the prevailing notion that the nation-state is the sole authority capable of managing planetary issues and their local consequences. It argues that the authority and resources to address these challenges are concentrated mainly at the national level, leading to systemic failures. The authors, Jonathan S. Blake and Nils Gilman, propose a new framework for global governance called planetary subsidiarity, which aims to enable the enduring habitability of the Earth for humans and non-humans alike. Blake and Gilman argue that our governing institutions must be reimagined in light of the fact that we can only thrive if the multi-species ecosystems we inhabit are also flourishing. They propose a bold, original architecture for global governance that seeks to address the interlocking challenges we face. The book offers a critical analysis of our current systems and the modernist assumptions that have shaped them, while also presenting a vision for a more sustainable and equitable future.

Weight: 670g
Dimension: 235 x 161 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503637856