Topic: Interconnectedness

Interconnectedness (origin: collective)

Interconnectedness is a worldview that emphasizes the deep interdependence of everything on Earth. From animals to water to rocks to bacteria, our fates are inextricably intertwined. Interconnectedness understands the world as a set of systems in delicate balance with one another. It is the opposite of the belief that humans are separate from or above nature (see ecocentrism, anthropocentrism).

The concept of interconnectedness can be found in Indigenous and scientific discourses. It is an ancient concept and is fundamental to the Four R’s of Indigenous cultural values, first articulated by LaDonna Harris and Jacqueline Wasilewski through their inter-tribal work with Americans for Indian Opportunity in the 1980s and 1990s. These common values are based on the kinship of all Earthlings and our obligations to one another.

In Western science, interconnection can be seen within the feedback loops of ecosystems such as nutrient cycles, food webs, and microbiomes. The interdisciplinary field of systems sciences explores the complexity of systems in various settings, including nature, society, and the human body.

Although sometimes referred to by different terms (interdependence, dependence on nature), the concept of interconnectedness is seen by many climate justice and sustainability activists as the cornerstone of an ecological civilization. It is emphasized in the principles of the just transition collective, Climate Justice Alliance. It was promoted by Thich Nhat Hang, Vietnamese Buddhist leader and peace activist, in his book, Love Letter to the Earth. And it is an essential mindset shift Kate Raworth advocates for in Doughnut Economics.

©2024 ClimateLit (Nicki May)

Related Terms: Doughnut Economics, ecological civilizationfractal flourishinghuman supremacy (antonym), ecocentrism, ecopsychology, industrial ecology, web of lifefood websecosystem services

Subtopics: Web of Life

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by Hyewon Yum

“Oh, my! What’s that? / It’s a PUDDLE!”

by Carlos López Estrada, Don Hall

“Now to restore peace, I must find the last dragon. My name is Raya.”

by Molly Bang, Penny Chisholm

“I am your Sun. My energy warms your days. I light up your world. But of all my planets, only one is teeming with life: your Earth. Why? Because it is covered with water – H2O – always moving, always changing, from liquid to solid to vapor and back again.”

by Danna Smith

“A rooftop garden is what we need / Friends and family all agree. / A garden starts with hardy seeds. / A rooftop garden is what we need.”

by Nguyen Thi Thu Trang

“Bears eat what they plant, and they plant what they eat. Bear should be wild and free.”

by Saadia Faruqi

“You don’t have to fix the whole world. Sometimes saving one small thing is enough.”

by Giant Squid

“Feel the spiritual magic of surfing as you connect with nature and restore life – but beware, there is also darkness lurking under the waves.”

by Rina Singh

“Cut me first before you touch my forest!”

by Maja Lunde

“But bees cannot be tamed. They can only be tended, receive our care.”

by Jan Wahl

“Overwhelmed by their beauty, the man cannot move.”

by Piers Torday

“How could I be so wrong? The stag was right—we can’t trust any other humans. How can you ever trust someone who wants to eat you?”

by Virginia Bergin

“There was water everywhere, but not a drop you could use. Not for drinking, not for washing, not for anything.”

by Bren MacDibble, Zana Fraillon

“Yes, I know people in the old days lived in giant mega-cities smothered in dirty clouds … and parts of the honoured and natural world died and the seas rose and we invaded the wild areas and new diseases took hold and killed most of their children and now we have to stay in our townships and keep our hair short and our hands clean and not make a peep of pollution and not increase our numbers even by one. … Three hundred and fifty kind, ethical, truthful people on seven hundred hectares or not at all.”

by M.H. Clark

“Today we will keep our eyes open for tiny, perfect things.”

by Kate Messner

“Down in the dirt is a whole busy world of earthworms and insects, digging and building and stirring up soil. They’re already working down in the dirt.”