Ecological Citizenship as a Global Responsibility: A New Ethic for a Sustainable World

Abstract

This research aims to conceptually and empirically analyze the role of ecological citizenship as a new ethical paradigm in building sustainable lives in the era of globalization. The background of the research departs from the increasing global environmental crisis caused not only by ecological factors, but also by moral and social crises in the way humans treat nature. In this context, ecological citizenship is understood as a form of moral consciousness that integrates personal, social, and planetary responsibilities in human actions. The method used is literature research with a qualitative content analysis approach. Data were obtained from theoretical and empirical literature, including major books on ecological ethics and global citizenship, articles in national and international scientific journals, as well as education policy documents such as Education for Sustainable Development Goals and the Independent Curriculum. The analysis procedure includes data reduction, thematic categorization, and interpretation to identify linkages between ecological, ethical, and educational dimensions. The validity of the results is maintained through triangulation of cross-disciplinary sources and comparison between global theories and local Indonesian wisdom. The results of the study show that ecological citizenship demands a paradigm shift from an anthropocentric to an ecocentric orientation, where humans are no longer the rulers of nature, but part of the network of life. Education plays a strategic role in this process through the integration of sustainability values, ecological empathy, and social responsibility into the curriculum. The findings also confirm that Indonesia's local values, such as the swinging bawana and the Tri Hita Karana, have a strong compatibility with the principles of ecological citizenship. Thus, this study emphasizes the importance of ecological citizenship education as an ethical and pedagogical strategy to build a generation of world citizens who are empowered, empathetic, and committed to the sustainability of the earth.