Who is it for?
Everyone. We encourage participation from all interested people – from all disciplines and backgrounds – who are interested in Earth-centred thinking and governance. This course is suitable for anyone who would like to engage with a positive vision for the future of the Earth community and strengthen their role in building Earth-centred human governance.
A limited number of scholarships are available for students and volunteers from not-for-profit organisations who wish to participate but who require financial support to register.
What is included?
- 16 hours of live online classes (8 x 2-hour classes) with Australian and international practitioners in Earth-centred thinking and governance, designed to encourage focussed and active participation.
- Access to recordings of all online classes and materials for working at your own pace.
- Live tutorials offered to all participants up to 3 times during the 8-week course, to enable you to discuss the materials and presentations offered during classes and explore issues further. (Tutorial dates will be set in consultation with course participants after Week 1).
- A collection of resources for reading, watching and listening, and real-world examples.
- An optional assessment module for those seeking a certificate of completion and/or digital badge. Assessment will involve two elements: (1) a multiple choice test and (2) a written essay (or as an alternative to the written essay, a verbal presentation) addressing key issues addressed in the course.
Why Earth-centred thinking and governance?
This course is inspired by the theory of Earth jurisprudence, which proposes that the current ecological crisis – which has seen humanity cross 6 of the 9 Planetary Boundaries that guarantee a safe operating space for life on earth[1] – has been created by anthropocentric world views and governance systems that emerged in Western industrialised societies, and which spread around the world through colonisation and globalisation.
Image: Planetary Boundaries. Image by Azote for Stockholm Resilience Centre
Earth jurisprudence suggests that these dominant systems of governance (including law, economics, ethics and education) have been created by flawed, human-centred thinking and a world-view that believes we are separate from the interconnected web of life. These attitudes have in turn, generated destructive, extractivist economic practices, which have accelerated since the European industrial revolution and spread via imperialism and globalisation. Today, industrialised societies need rapid systems change, in order to effectively respond to the challenges we face, build sustainable societies and support the interconnected community of life.
One of the most powerful ways to respond to the ecological crisis is to develop an Earth-centred world view and engage deeply with an understanding of the needs and wellbeing of the interconnected community of life. An Earth-centred world view can stimulate effective thinking about ‘real’ sustainability and regenerative practices, and can catalyse a range of practical and multidisciplinary approaches for creating systems change. Earth-centred thinking engages with a broad subject matter that includes (but is not limited to) western philosophy, law, economics, science and religion, and, First Nations Peoples’ epistemologies, cosmology and culture.
[1] See for example – Ian Angus, The Earth System has passed six of Earth’s nine Planetary Boundaries, 18 September 2023, https://www.resilience.org/stories/2023-09-18/the-earth-system-has-passed-six-of-nine-planetary-boundaries/
Course Content
During our 8 week course you will:
- Learn about the theory and practice of Earth jurisprudence: an overarching framework for analysing current modalities of human governance.
- Learn how to explore your personal values and goals, and develop practice frameworks that link your values and professional goals to wider collective societal and governance systems change.
- Explore Earth-centred philosophy and ethics, including Australian Aboriginal philosophies such as the Relationist Ethos.
- Learn about the science of interconnectedness: what western science can tell us about our place within the tree of life and the wider universe; our interconnectedness with life on Earth and our responses to the current ecological and climate crises.
- Be introduced to the key principles and emerging concepts of Earth-centred law and governance: including Ecocide, Rights of Nature, Ecological Law and Governance, and Indigenous Peoples’ First Laws.
- Learn about Earth-centred approaches to economics, including Steady State, Ecological Economics, Wellbeing and Doughnut Economics; and critically examine the discourse and practice around emerging ‘nature-based solutions’ and ‘nature-based markets’.
- Critique western structures of international and national politics and policy, and find out how Earth-centred approaches need to challenge and transform western style political systems.
Mode of Delivery
- All classes are delivered online (using Zoom video conferencing) to enable participation by people across Australia and around the world.
- Live classes will be held on Tuesdays from 4pm to 6pm AEST (Australian Eastern Standard Time), to allow you to complete the course amid existing professional and personal commitments. Classes are informal and interactive, to enable participants to get to know each other, build connections and learn in different ways.
- Each class includes the course facilitator and up to two expert speakers.
- Tutorials (60-minute discussion sessions) will be offered online, with up to 3 tutorials offered to all participants during the 8-week course. Tutorials will provide a space for participants to engage in discussion around specific topics and questions, and seek clarification about key issues raised in the classes.
- All course materials are made available upon registration, to enable pre-reading and preparation.
Course Cost
- AU$580 for corporate/government participants
- AU$295 for community/individual participants
(no GST is charged)
- Assessment is optional – successful completion of assessment will earn a certificate and digital badge.
Limited scholarships are available for students and volunteers of not-for-profit organisations who need support to participate in the course.
To apply for a scholarship please email: aela@earthlaws.org.au, and tell us why you wish to participate in the course, and how it will assist you with your studies and/or work.
Course Facilitator and Guest Speakers
The program is created, facilitated and delivered by Dr Michelle Maloney, Co-Founder and National Convenor of the Australian Earth Laws Alliance.
Dr Maloney is recognised globally as a leading practitioner in the field of Earth-centred law and governance. Read more about Michelle’s qualifications, work and publications here, on AELA’s website.
Each module features leading Earth centred thinkers and practitioners from Australia and around the world.
Our guest speakers include:
- Mary Graham, Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Queensland and Kombu-merri person
- Brendan Mackey, Professor of Ecology and Director, Griffith University’s Climate Beacon
- John Seed, Deep Ecology expert and co-author of “Thinking Like a Mountain”, with Arnae Ness, Joanna Macy and Pat Fleming
- Robert Costanza, Professor of Ecological Economics at the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London
- Mari Margil, Rights of Nature expert, Center for Democratic and Community Rights, USA
- Sue Higginson, NSW Member of Parliament
- Jose Ramos, Action Foresight
- Claire Marshall, Museum of the Future
Course Outcomes
AELA’s Earth-centred Futures Course offers a unique opportunity for you to deepen your understanding of Earth-centred governance. It will strengthen your ability to create and implement new solutions and governance approaches to restore and sustain life on our beautiful planet.
As a result of this course you will:
Develop your understanding of human-centred and Earth-centred worldviews
- Understand the difference between anthropocentric and earth-centric thinking and governance. Understand the role anthropocentric thinking and behaviour has played in the current ecological crisis. Build insights about the intrinsic rights of nature, how to regulate ourselves as part of that community and the opportunity earth-centric thinking provides for a sustainable future.
Build your understanding of Earth-centred governance and engage with a positive vision for the future
- Develop a deep understanding of how human-centred, growth focused governance has been a root cause of our current ecological crisis, and how it limits efforts to create sustainable futures within the current framework. Expand your understanding of governance beyond humanity to the whole earth community. Learn about the need to create governance structures that enable human societies to fit within our ecological boundaries. Engage with a positive vision for the future of our governance systems.
Be equipped to apply learning to real-world approaches
- Be exposed to existing and emerging Earth-centred approaches in Australia and internationally. Develop skills to critique the current system, analyse the potential of implementing earth centred governance in your area of interest and design new approaches to governance in the 21st Century.
Collaborate with and create a network of Earth-centred individuals
- Learn from Earth-centred thought-leaders and change-makers from Australia and internationally. Collaborate with and build a network of like-minded individuals to support each other during and after the programme.
Feel empowered to play your part in shaping the future
- Gain insights, skills and confidence to play your part in creating an Earth-centred approach and engage, mobilise and influence others to join you. Understand how to lead with your whole self, for the whole earth.
