Political ecology of adaptation: Claiming a critical biomimicry for the Anthropocene

Abstract

In this article, the authors appropriate the concept of adaptation within the framework of political ecology, in order to critically rethink the principle of biomimicry as a strategy capable of contributing to the construction of a sustainable society, in an era plagued by deleterious effects generated by the socioeconomic system. The article uses the concept of «sustainability» as an emancipatory practice not only intricate with environmental issues but mostly with political matters. A political ecology of adaptation should allow, then, to understand adaptation in terms of the political commitments involved and the social interests at stake. The authors propose an adaptation criterion that allows redesigning the technosphere to harmonize the biophysical processes and social development. These criteria are not only intended to provide solutions to the design problem, but also to contribute to overcome unequal geographical development and the cynicism that supports it.