Paper Short Abstract:

Sustainable lifestyles are of enormous importance for achieving the goals of the sustainability strategy for leading nations (e.g. Germany) but also worldwide (UN SDGs, 2021). At the same time, Arturo Escobar critiques the concept of ‘development’ as a monolithic product of post-colonial and cultural imperialism. Taking the case of everyday experiences and environmental change, this paper starts to seek an understanding for the Anthropocene in general, processes of planetary health under the perspective of the Anthropocene and poses the question, of whether and how a balanced relationship is reflected by lifestyles. Empirical Interviews (n=60) were conducted from July to December 2024 worldwide (in Germany, Island, Spain, Canada, USA, Ecuador, Chile, Uganda, Kenia, Tanzania, Iran, Armenia, India, Australia and New Zealand) and established a basis to understand the Anthropocene from an innovative bottom-up approach.

Paper Abstract:

Sustainable lifestyles are of enormous importance for achieving the goals of the sustainability strategy for leading nations (e.g. Germany) but also worldwide (UN SDGs, 2021). The elaboration of empowering behavioral paradigms to enhance sustainable lifestyles is crucial for the equitable distribution of common goods and health services across all levels of societal institutions and individual action (Sunstein and Reisch 2019). At the same time, Arturo Escobar critiques the concept of ‘development’ as a monolithic product of post-colonial and cultural imperialism. Escobar encourages entities and actions to be enlightened through the pluriverse, the conception of multiple, mutual ontological realities. While studying sustainable lifestyles, it became clear that not only certain external triggers (like severe illness) were determining, but also communication/awareness. Within this experience and close interaction with ‘natural’ activities plays a crucial role (Werner and Risius 2021). Understanding meaningfulness, especially in the light of climate change and other anthropogenic, in a holistic manner is of high importance to attach to livelihoods under planetary boundaries.

Taking the case of everyday experiences and environmental change, this paper starts to seek an understanding for the Anthropocene in general, processes of planetary health under the perspective of the Anthropocene and poses the question, of whether and how a balanced relationship is reflected by lifestyles.

Empirical Interviews (n=60) were conducted from July to December 2024 worldwide (in Germany, Island, Spain, Canada, USA, Ecuador, Chile, Uganda, Kenia, Tanzania, Iran, Armenia, India, Australia and New Zealand) and established a basis to understand the Anthropocene from a bottom-up approach.