More-than-Human Care & Earth Care
More-than-human care and earth care recognize that care extends beyond human relationships to include the ecosystems, animals, plants, water, and material environments that sustain life. This perspective challenges human-centered approaches by highlighting the interdependence between social wellbeing and planetary health. As climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation intensify, it becomes increasingly clear that caring for people and caring for the living world are deeply interconnected processes.
CURRENT STATISTICS
1
Approximately 1 million animal and plant species are at risk of extinction. Biodiversity loss directly threatens the ecological foundations of the care relationships that sustain life.
80%
In countries such as Türkiye, 80% of residents describe their relationship with street animals as part of neighborhood culture and social trust. Street animals are seen not only as recipients of care, but also as contributors to social connection and community cohesion.
4
As environmental degradation makes access to water and food more difficult, women in rural areas spend an average of 4 additional hours per day on care-related tasks. When care for the Earth is neglected, it often creates new care burdens elsewhere.
CURRENT CARE POLICIES
Care Policy Recommendations Tool
At İhtimam, we curate emerging care policy recommendations and translate them into practical guidance for different stakeholders. Select a stakeholder group and thematic area to explore relevant policy recommendations, strategies, and actions from Türkiye and around the world.
THE FUTURE OF CARE
Care Radar
The Care Radar tracks emerging developments, weak signals, and evolving conversations across the care landscape. It is designed to help us understand how care is changing and to explore these shifts through an ethical and systems-oriented lens.
Care Beyond Human-Centered Thinking
Discussions of care are increasingly expanding beyond human relationships. Ecosystems, animals, and the material environment are being recognized as essential participants in care systems, signalling a broader understanding of care and interdependence.
The Intersection of Everyday Care and Ecological Vulnerability
As the climate crisis deepens, the connection between household care work and the reproduction of ecological systems is becoming more visible. Water, food, and energy insecurity directly affect care responsibilities, while extreme weather events and environmental degradation increase care needs.
Multispecies Care and Solidarity Practices
Animal rescue networks, community gardens, urban farming initiatives, and other grassroots efforts are encouraging care to be understood as a practice that extends across species. While these initiatives remain largely community-led, they point toward new forms of collective care.
Earth Care in Urban Design
Some cities are beginning to incorporate rainwater harvesting, cooling infrastructure, shade networks, and green corridors into urban planning. These emerging approaches treat environmental resilience as a form of care infrastructure, although they are not yet widespread.
Recognizing Ecological Care Work
Activities such as growing food, saving seeds, restoring soil, and protecting water sources are increasingly being recognized as forms of care work. Despite their importance, this labour is still rarely reflected in economic measurements or policy frameworks.
Ecological Restoration After Disasters
Following wildfires, floods, and earthquakes, volunteer-led ecological restoration initiatives are becoming more common. These efforts highlight how caring for communities and caring for ecosystems are often inseparable.
Growing Attention to Planetary Vulnerability
The pandemic and climate crisis have challenged the idea that humans exist independently from nature. Growing awareness of our shared vulnerability is strengthening connections between care ethics, ecological thinking, and the recognition of mutual dependence across all forms of life.
