“Jeremy Rifkin reminds us that water animates all life on the blue planet. As he writes, “being of the waters” means stabilizing our course and securing our place in a complex living organism, of which we are only one actor, whose resilience and well-being depend on “going with the flow.” (Vandana Shiva, feminist, environmentalist and activist))
Jeremy Rifkin is an American economist and the founder and president of the Foundation on Economic Trends (FoET), established in 1977 to study the impact of scientific and technological innovations on the economy, society, and the environment. Considered one of the leading analysts of post-Fordist society, he is active as an environmentalist and serves as an environmental policy advisor to the European Commission and Parliament.
“Planet Aqua” is a thought-provoking contribution to rethinking our place in the universe, beginning with the awareness that we live on a water planet. From this new perspective, Rifkin encourages us to reconsider and reshape every aspect of our lives—from our relationship with nature to models of social and environmental governance, from the conception of economic activity to the education of our children, and even the way we orient ourselves in time and space.
Rifkin himself, during a meeting at Marevivo’s national headquarters, called for marine protection to be brought back to the center of the international political agenda and for achieving the goal of protecting at least 30% of land and seas by 2030, stating: “Rethinking water as a source of life and not as a source of profit represents a true cultural revolution. It means reorienting our way of inhabiting the planet, recognizing that we are part of an aquatic and interdependent system. The human adventure is entering a new phase, based on the awareness that the Earth is first and foremost a planet of water. If we want to preserve the conditions that make our survival possible, we must accompany the Green Deal with a ‘Blue Deal’ that intervenes in every aspect of our lives: in the way we produce and consume energy, manage resources, organize cities, govern the economy, and educate new generations. Water thus becomes the guiding principle of a transformation that combines technological innovation, social responsibility, and ecosystem protection. This new phase begins with the awareness that our common home, as Pope Francis has defined it, is a Water Planet and must be governed as such.“
Credits
Author: Anna Lacci is a science communicator and expert in environmental education, sustainability, and place-based teaching. She is the author of documentaries, nature books, workbooks, interdisciplinary teaching resources, and multimedia informational materials.
Translated by Maria Antonietta Sessa
