About the project

Growing the foundations for a new kind of planetary-scale governance

 

“I am quite confident that even as the oceans boil, and the hurricanes beat violently against our once safe shores … that there is a path to take that has nothing to do with victory or defeat: a place we do not yet know the coordinates to; a question we do not yet know how to ask” - Bayo Akomolafe

 

Foundations Earth is a globally distributed team, working together in pursuit of a common mission: to cohere responses to foundational problems and to grow the foundations for a new kind of planetary-scale governance. 

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This involves acknowledging the systems and paradigms that cannot sustain life on Earth, and exploring the emergence of alternatives that offer us new possibilities.

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Foundations Earth is fiscally hosted by Climate 2025, whilst the Opus team is currently responsible for contributing to the development of strategic plans, storytelling and post-production and situating the themes and learning of this work in Sheffield.

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Context and Purpose 

As today’s planetary-scale problems intensify, so too do the reactions they elicit - mistrust and social breakdown, authoritarian governance, a retreat to comfort and certainty… 

We seek to nurture the capacities and capabilities needed for people to confront the root causes of these problems, and then create new systems for a world beyond the poly-crisis.

 

Foundations Earth works in the following areas 

• Holding brave spaces for people to experience new ways of being and working together 

• Weaving innovative projects across boundaries for new and diverse collaborations

• Publishing new stories about the alternatives that are emerging

 

We create: 

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Spaces

• For participants to learn about the systemic roots of problems and the foundations for new systems. 

• We blend theories and practices from deep ecology, intersectional justice and regenerative design to create transformative learning experiences.

Projects

• For innovators, activists and artists to build new systems together across old boundaries.

• We identify high-leverage interventions and then weave together different groups to work on new interdisciplinary projects.  

Stories

• For readers and listeners to be inspired by the possibilities others are working on around the world. 

• We interview active members of communities about their projects and hopes for the future, highlighting the personal side of systemic change.

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“It is becoming increasingly clear that the scale of the challenge we face requires us to make deep transformational changes on a planetary scale. The new planetary scale innovations are going to be vital in making a just transition. Foundations Earth is a unique place to advance both the planetary and relational transformation necessary” - Indy Johar, Co-Founder of Dark Matter Labs

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Our top three impacts & indicators

• Participants in our workshops feel better equipped to respond to systemic problems - measured using participant survey data + number of new projects

• Our projects have connected people across borders to share challenges and explore opportunities for broader and deeper impact - measured by the number of inter-regional meetings + facilitator survey data

• The field of planetary systems change has grown and diversified - measured by the geographic spread of stories + number of mentions online

 

Imagine...  

 

It’s 2028 - our planet’s carbon budget has just been exceeded, nation-states are fighting over diminishing resources, and existing systems are continuing to collapse. 

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At the same time, place-based communities across Asia and Europe are growing and connected with each other, sharing challenges and opportunities, and forming a mycelial web that transcends old borders.

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Within these communities, members are experimenting with new ways to represent the voices of the more-than-human and more-than-local - making decisions for present and future generations that are both inclusive and effective.

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Slowly but surely, the foundations for a new kind of planetary-scale governance are emerging.

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Who we’re looking to work with

• Financial partners: who are serious about equitably distributing resources and scaling this work (budgets available upon request).

• Knowledge partners: who can bring diverse experience and expertise to the conversation.

• Delivery partners: who want to collaborate to deliver projects in-place.