20th International Conference in the Series „Humanistic Ecology”

Ecological Challenges in the 21st Century:
Between Nature and Society – Interdisciplinary Reflections on Environmental Crisis

“Ion Creanga” State Pedagogical University of Chișinău (UPSC)
(Chișinău, Republic of Moldova – September 11–12, 2026)

The 20th edition of the Humanistic Ecology conference series will be hosted in 2026 by “Ion Creanga” State Pedagogical University of Chișinău (UPSC) in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova. The series was initiated and developed at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw (UKSW) and is organized in partnership with collaborating institutions. In each edition, the host university provides the local venue and on-site support, while UKSW coordinates the series and ensures continuity across editions.

The conference series is based on the conviction that the contemporary environmental crisis has a profoundly anthropological and civilizational character. Following the “state issue” of the eighteenth century and the “social issue” of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, our era is marked by the emergence of the “ecological issue.” This “ecological issue” calls for renewed philosophical and ethical reflection on the place of humans in nature (Łepko 1994, 21).

Environmental philosophy has shown that, despite long-lasting traditions of human domination over nature, a “green thread” runs through the history of ideas and points toward a more harmonious and respectful relationship between humans and the natural world (Waloszczyk 1996, 200–207; 1997, 229–230). The growth of ecological awareness in the second half of the twentieth century was fuelled not only by influential scientific reports—such as U Thant’s Problems of the Human Environment and the Club of Rome’s Limits to Growth—but also by widely read books, including Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature. These works revealed the ambivalence of modern technology, which can both empower and endanger humanity and the Earth (Böhme 2002, 5).

Today, it is clear that technical measures, the natural sciences, and the law alone cannot adequately address the environmental crisis. Approaches limited to technological and legal “repair” of symptoms can be ineffective and may even create new risks for both nature and humans (Weizsäcker 1994; Łepko 2011, 88). What is needed is a broader perspective that also includes the humanities and social sciences. They help us question our models of civilization, patterns of consumption, cultural imaginaries, and the values that shape pro-environmental attitudes. In this sense, the crisis of nature appears as a crisis of civilization, in which nature is exposed to exploitation and degradation (Łepko 2003; Sadowski 2015).

The 20th edition of the Humanistic Ecology conference series invites contributions that address ecological challenges—rooted in environmental philosophy and ethics and in dialogue with the natural and social sciences—through the following perspectives:

• FOUNDATIONS: environmental philosophy, environmental ethics, ecotheology
• JUSTICE  &  RESPONSIBILITY: climate justice, intergenerational ethics, interspecies responsibility
• SOCIETY  &  CULTURE: consumption patterns, cultural narratives, value systems, public discourse
• LAW  &  POLICY: environmental law, regulatory approaches, governance and institutions
• EDUCATION  &  PRACTICE: sustainability education, community initiatives, behavior change
• SCIENCE  &  EVIDENCE: dialogue with natural sciences and social sciences; data-informed analyses
• APPLIED  PERSPECTIVES: empirical research and case studies (local to global), best practices, lessons learned

In this interdisciplinary spirit, the Humanistic Ecology conference aims to diagnose the environmental crisis and to explore realistic, value-sensitive paths toward a sustainable balance between nature and society. We welcome contributions from diverse disciplinary backgrounds.

References

1. Böhme, Gernot. 2002. Filozofia i estetyka przyrody [Für eine ökologische Naturästhetik]. Warszawa: Oficyna Naukowa.
2. Carson, Rachel. 1962. Silent Spring. New York: Houghton Mifflin. Accessed November 20, 2025. (Available online)
3. Łepko, Zbigniew. 1994. “Ku ekofilozofii [Toward Ecophilosophy].” Studia Philosophiae Christianae 30(1): 21–34. Accessed November 20, 2025. (Available online)
4. Łepko, Zbigniew. 2003. Antropologia kryzysu ekologicznego w świetle współczesnej literatury niemieckiej [The anthropology of the ecological crisis in the light of contemporary German literature]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo UKSW.
5. Łepko, Zbigniew. 2011. “W sprawie polityki dla zrównoważonego rozwoju [On political project for sustainable development].” Seminare 29(1): 75–89. (Available online)
6. McKibben, Bill. 1989. The End of Nature. New York: Random House.
7. Meadows, Donella H., et al. 1974. The Limits to Growth: A Report for the Club of Rome’s Project on the Predicament of Mankind. New York: New American Library. Accessed November 20, 2025. (Available online)
8. Sadowski, Ryszard. 2015. Filozoficzny spór o rolę chrześcijaństwa w kwestii ekologicznej [Philosophical Dispute over the Role of Christianity in the Ecological Question]. Warszawa: TNFS. (Available online)
9. Thant, U. 1969. Problems of the Human Environment: Report of the Secretary-General. Accessed November 20, 2025. (Available online)
10. Waloszczyk, Konrad. 1996. Kryzys ekologiczny w świetle ekofilozofii [Ecological crisis in the light of Ecophilosophy]. Łódź: Wydawnictwo Politechniki Łódzkiej.
11. Waloszczyk, Konrad. 1997. Planeta nie tylko ludzi [Not only people’s planet]. Warszawa: PIW.
12. Weizsäcker von, Ernst U. 1994. Eine neue Politik für die Erde. Die globale Partnerschaft von Wirtschaft und Ökologie. Freiburg im Breisgau: Herder.