Víctor M. Toledo – författare

This book helps readers to understand the fast growing and timely concept of social metabolism. The authors shed a light on the different existing terms and methodologies that have been developed over the years. Through the study of history, readers will get an understanding of the main currents or schools that exist around this concept and their main findings. Also provides examples of how to apply the metabolic approach at different territorial and temporal scales and using different methodological tools. The book presents a novel socio-metabolic theory of historical change, in which biophysical and social variables are combined in an integrated way to understand the dynamics of socio-metabolic transitions.In this second edition, the authors provide valuable updates and new sections to each of the previous chapters. New insights on global phenomena like climate change and the environmental crisis are also considered. As readers will learn, a paradigm shift in almost all areas of research and society will be needed to face the challenges created by the modern industrial society. The authors use a look back in history, to explore the relationship between humans and nature from an evolutionary and thermodynamic perspective. With this approach, readers from history, environmental sciences and social sciences will get valuable insights on possible solutions.

This book helps readers to understand the fast growing and timely concept of social metabolism. The authors shed a light on the different existing terms and methodologies that have been developed over the years. Through the study of history, readers will get an understanding of the main currents or schools that exist around this concept and their main findings. Also provides examples of how to apply the metabolic approach at different territorial and temporal scales and using different methodological tools. The book presents a novel socio-metabolic theory of historical change, in which biophysical and social variables are combined in an integrated way to understand the dynamics of socio-metabolic transitions.In this second edition, the authors provide valuable updates and new sections to each of the previous chapters. New insights on global phenomena like climate change and the environmental crisis are also considered. As readers will learn, a paradigm shift in almost all areas of research and society will be needed to face the challenges created by the modern industrial society. The authors use a look back in history, to explore the relationship between humans and nature from an evolutionary and thermodynamic perspective. With this approach, readers from history, environmental sciences and social sciences will get valuable insights on possible solutions.

This book helps readers to understand the fast growing and timely concept of social metabolism. The authors shed a light on the different existing terms and methodologies that have been developed over the years. Through the study of history, readers will get an understanding of the main currents or schools that exist around this concept and their main findings. Also provides examples of how to apply the metabolic approach at different territorial and temporal scales and using different methodological tools. The book presents a novel socio-metabolic theory of historical change, in which biophysical and social variables are combined in an integrated way to understand the dynamics of socio-metabolic transitions.In this second edition, the authors provide valuable updates and new sections to each of the previous chapters. New insights on global phenomena like climate change and the environmental crisis are also considered. As readers will learn, a paradigm shift in almost all areas of research and society will be needed to face the challenges created by the modern industrial society. The authors use a look back in history, to explore the relationship between humans and nature from an evolutionary and thermodynamic perspective. With this approach, readers from history, environmental sciences and social sciences will get valuable insights on possible solutions.

De todos los movimientos emancipadores y esperanzadores que existen hoy en el mundo, los ecológicos políticos son los más avanzados ideológica y filosóficamente, porque conectan de manera congruente la teoría con la praxis, y porque son los únicos que están visualizando soluciones liberadoras a la altura de las complejas circunstancias actuales. También, son los que han logrado superar toda la parafernalia heredada de la épica revolucionaria del siglo XIX (marxismos, leninismos, trotskismos, maoísmos, etc.) que sigue aún presente como relicto del pasado en los movimientos de emancipación del siglo XXI. Son los más avanzados porque logran conectar la crisis social con la crisis ecológica; las luchas locales con las batallas globales; la superación individual y familiar con la acción política colectiva. A sus actores del autor les ha denominado civilizionarios, porque saben distinguir entre lo que es un mero cambio de sistema social o económico de una profunda transformación civilizatoria. Todos son esencialmente anticapitalistas, pero no se quedan anidados en los estrechos marcos de las "izquierdas" y sus propuestas. La ecopolítica es además una política de ecos. De ecos que se encuentran, se sintonizan y se comunican, de vibraciones que reverberan a través de redes de resistencia, solidaridad e innovación. Aunque los movimientos ecológico político abundan por todas las regiones del mundo, es en América Latina y, especialmente en México, donde se localizan sus mayores expresiones, avances y logros. Por lo tanto, este libro está dedicado a realizar un recuento, que es tanto conceptual como pragmático, de este novedoso fenómeno que parece inaugurar una nueva era de transformaciones basadas en las autonomías territoriales, el espíritu de la colmena (las comunidades), la política doméstica, la autogestión y la construcción del poder social, y que desafían por igual el Estado y el Capital.