From Politics to Cosmopolitics: The Futures Aren’t Waiting, and Neither Are Youth

In this blogpost, which is part of NORRAG’s blog series on Provocations for Education from Youth Climate Activism, Victoria Desimoni and Marrilyn Galvan advocate for the role of youth in enacting a cosmopolitical future.

What if politics weren’t just for politicians? What if trees, mountains, and animals—those who suffer most from human actions—had a say in shaping the future? What if governance wasn’t locked within borders but flowed, like ecosystems, across landscapes, relationships, and species? Young people are not only asking these questions, but leading the way in rethinking governance, planetary citizenship, and education.

Our political systems have been built on fragmented nation-states, each racing for development. In this race for “progress,” we have long ago lost sight of our deep connection to Earth, with politicians like Donald Trump denying climate change while figures like Elon Musk claim humanity’s destiny lies beyond our planet. For centuries, the priority has been colonization, domination, and exploitation. The climate crisis has brought the consequences of our political choices to the forefront. As Akómólafé (n.d.) puts it, “What if the way we are responding to the crisis is part of the crisis?” Political efforts to address climate change are not working because they don’t acknowledge the interconnectedness of life on Earth.  

The youth see through this hypocrisy and complacency, and they are refusing to accept it. Across the world, young activists are demanding a radical transformation in how we govern and relate to the planet, rejecting outdated systems that prioritize profit over survival (Earth Uprising, 2023) and forging new models of planetary responsibility (Ifaw, 2025).

Shifting from Politics to Cosmopolitics

Enter cosmopolitics—a radical reimagining of governance that expands political participation beyond humans and toward an ethic of deep relationality (Escobar et al., 2024). Scholars such as Isabel Stengers (2003; 2005), Marisol De la Cadena (2015), and Bruno Latour (2004) advocated for this shift, rejecting hierarchical dominance in favor of inclusive politics that recognize the rights and voices of all living and nonliving beings. What if rivers had legal rights? What if forests could veto destruction? Drawing on some philosophical ideas and real-life examples, this blog explores the unique role of youth in advancing cosmopolitics.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s (1887/1989) and Hannah Arendt’s (1963/2006) ideas offer important insights into our current political crisis. Nietzsche’s concept of internalization reveals how societal ideas—about success, progress, and governance—become ingrained in our thinking. This internalization, or “bad conscience,” has distanced us from the more-than-human world. What if the crisis we face is not just ecological or political, but deeply ontological and psychological—a result of our failure to reimagine our place in the cosmos? Nietzsche’s (1883/1978) famous statement “God is dead…And we have killed him” also points at a humanity that has positioned itself at the center of the universe getting rid of the spiritual realm. How can we recover our connection to the spirit of things to reclaim our place within a living, interconnected cosmos?

Arendt’s work complements Nietzsche’s critique by highlighting the dangers of thoughtlessness. Arendt warned that evil can result not only from malicious intent but from the failure to think critically. Regarding climate change, institutions perpetuate this thoughtlessness through empty gestures, bureaucratic delays, and ineffective policies. Inspired by Arendt’s insight, how can we examine political systems, institutions, and our individual complicity in the destruction of our shared world?

At the heart of cosmopolitics is the idea of being a citizen of the cosmos. In this framework, humans don’t determine who counts as a citizen, who has rights, or who matters. Cosmopolitics moves us towards coexisting in a pluriverse (Escobar, 2020), pushing to craft policies that reflect the needs of the planet and all its inhabitants. In a world where humans are not the only beings who inhabit and shape the environment, why wouldn’t we listen to what other entities have to say? In the urgent times of the Anthropocene, the wisdom of other beings could actually teach us how to survive and live ‘on a damaged planet’ (Tsing et al., 2017).

These cosmopolitical principles and ideas are already being put into practice across various contexts. The next sections highlight two of these efforts, showcasing how cosmopolitics is taking shape in the real world and the role of youth in enacting it.

Poetry in the Amazonas: Listening to the Voices of Nature

Juan Carlos Galeano (2009), an Amazonian poet and environmentalist, uses poetry to express the deep interconnection between humans and the environment. Just as Nietzsche warns of the internalization of harmful societal ideas, Galeano uses poetry to communicate the urgency of reimagining our relationship with the environment. Through poetry, Galeano brings attention to the effects of the Anthropocene in the Amazonian rainforest and the protection of the oral stories told by Indigenous peoples in this region of the world—reminding us that stories, not policies, often hold the most enduring power.

In 2014, Galeano published Yakumama (And Other Mythical Beings), a collection of poems. The poem Chicua depicts a conversation between the people and the bird Chicua, both native to the Amazon. Through this dialogue we learn of growing threats to the forest. By giving voice to Chicua’s warnings of drought, fire, and deforestation, the poem underscores that nature holds knowledge and that we can learn from it—if we listen.

Chicua 

An exceptional, tiny bird with the ability to announce the future in song. 

A hunter never enters the forest without a dog and the advice of the Chicua. 

Chic-chic-chicua, and the trail is a viper. 

Chic-chic-chicua, the bird sings and his eyes shine like televisions, sad about the news. 

With great emotion, the Chicua Flies from branch to branch answering questions.

Capable of seeing head and tail before birth, the Chicua lives in a zone the eyes cannot reach (Galeano, 2014, p.2).

Through poetry, Galeano does not just describe the crisis—he calls us into a new way of listening. The planet is speaking. Are we willing to hear it?

Ecuador’s Constitution and the Rights of Nature

Ecuador’s recognition of Pachamama in its 2008 Constitution marked a significant departure from the thoughtlessness Arendt warns against. By granting nature legal rights, Ecuador challenged the bureaucratic inertia that treats the environment as merely a resource for human use. This shift is forcing policymakers to consider the needs of ecosystems, countering the passive acceptance of destructive political norms.

Despite some wins, the struggle to implement these rights (Swing et al., 2022) highlights the persistent influence of internalized economic principles that still prioritize extraction over preservation. For cosmopolitics to succeed, it requires not only legal frameworks but a cultural and philosophical transformation–one that reshapes how we learn, govern, and relate to each other and the more-than-human world.

In both examples, young people have played a central role in bringing cosmopolitics in action. For many Indigenous Amazonian youth, “being a climate activism is not an option” but a matter of survival. Helena Gaulinga, an environmental advocate from the Kichwa Sarayaku community, explains, “We are on the front lines of keeping fossil fuels in the ground as we work to defend our lands” (CNN, 2022). In Ecuador, with voting rights beginning at age 16, youth played a decisive role in championing the rights of nature, shaping environmental justice efforts at a national level (Surma, 2022). Their voices are transforming policy, governance, and the future of the planet. 

If these movements have taught us anything, it’s this: The planet has always been speaking. When will we start listening?

Educating Youth for a Cosmopolitical Future

Cosmopolitics reframes governance as relational, prioritizing the well-being of all living and non-living beings. This call for a radical political shift must be an intergenerational effort. Young people, who have the most at stake, are already leading this shift and must be taken seriously (Fletcher, 2024; Rodela & Roumeliotis, 2024). Unlike previous generations, they are growing up with an understanding of humanity’s entanglement with the planet, refusing to see the environment as something separate from politics (Sloam et al., 2022). With climate education becoming more widespread, they are the first generation equipped to challenge outdated models and demand policies that reflect the interconnectedness of all beings. As they step into positions of power, they are shaping a future where politics—cosmopolitics—honors the rights of all beings. So, to educators and scholars: How can we better equip youth with the tools to reimagine the relationship between humans and the Earth and all its inhabitants? And how can we support their efforts, ideas, and political involvement through schooling and beyond?

Authors

Marrilyn Galvan, of Native American and Spanish descent, is pursuing a master’s degree in Narrative Studies at Arizona State University. Her research explores Indigeneity to land and place through diverse forms of literature, in connection to the more-than-human world. She writes from genuine emotions and values the interplay between the natural world and human experience. She hopes to continue researching and writing about the earth to recognize the importance of animals’ lived experiences and communication through Indigenous storytelling. 

Victoria Desimoni, originally from Argentina, is a Ph.D. student in Education Policy and Evaluation at Arizona State University. Grounded in decolonial thought, her work explores post-humanist approaches to learning that move beyond human-centered frameworks toward more inclusive and relational futures.