Changing the direction of the development and doing fast has become the task of civilised society. Efforts are already made to renew our western culture in a manner that questions the current materialistic conception of man and man’s relationship with reality. The ecosocial or planetary conception of civilisation gives a direction for this renewal. Learning, on the other hand, is a force used to build a sustainable future and society’s capability to change.
An increase in knowledge and understanding should renew the ways of striving for wellbeing. Education that renews culture adapts human activities to the limits of the earth and anchors life to more sustainable foundations. With education, citizens begin to increasingly implement their humanity by taking into account both the social and the ecological relationships.
A sustainable future is created in learning networks relying on trust. Individuals learn to overcome their prejudices and to broaden their way of existing in the world. Building a good future opens up as an opportunity to encounter each other constructively and to create a new story of progress together. Acting in the role of a solution finder provides energy in the middle of the sometimes very difficult emotions evoked by climate change.
On this page, we examine the challenges of renewing civilisation and transformative learning through three megatrends in sustainable development. They are:
- Our unsustainable lifestyle culture is transforming
- Networked activities challenge hierarchies
- The economy becomes the force for change for a sustainable future