Ecovillages are described as counter-cultural communities from the European hippie movement of the 60s and 70s, which spread to Brazil with Eco92. These communities seek human, social, economic and natural regeneration as an institutional goal, in line with the 2030 Agenda. However, there is a scarcity of studies on these communities in the local and global context of the climate crisis. The general objective of the research “The socio-political face of the climate crisis and extreme events: a study of ecovillages in São Paulo and South Germany” is to critically analyze how ecovillages in both countries are incorporating the climate crisis and extreme events into their lifestyles and worldview. To complete the data collection with the South German ecovillages, a 10-month stay [Feb/24 to Oct/24] was conducted with the Chair of Environmental Sociology at the Universität Augsburg, in partnership with the Zentrum für Klimaresilienz, under the supervision of Prof. Maria Angela Backhouse. The entire stay was funded by the Brazilian government through the FAPESP agency.  During this period, four ecovillages in Southern Germany, five catalytic organizations of the German ecovillage movement, eight reference institutions and institutional mechanisms were interviewed in fieldwork. Besides, twenty cities and villages were visited, mainly for cultural immersion, historical investigation and data collection. In total, 94 people in Europe were approached in interviews and discussion groups.  Some of the results found were the different forms of citizenship and climate activism on the part of German ecovillages, as well as a leading case in bioregionalism and climate cosmopolitanism Brazil - Bavaria.

Keywords: human settlements; ecovillages; social movements; climate change; extreme events; climate citizenship; environmental justice; public policies; reflexive modernity.