Biocracy redefines responsibility

The idea of biocracy emerges from an uncomfortable yet straightforward realisation: most of our political decisions today are still centred almost entirely on human convenience, power, and short-term gain, while the ecological systems that sustain life are treated as secondary—or worse, expendable.

Biocracy can be understood as a form of governance where decisions are not driven solely by human wants but are fundamentally guided by ecological needs. In such a system, the health of air, water, soil, forests, and climate becomes a primary factor in policy-making, not an afterthought. 

If we honestly evaluate the dominant forms of governance—democracy, monarchy, autocracy, or even technocracy—we find that they are increasingly inadequate for the challenges of our time. These systems were designed in eras that did not account for ecological collapse. Today, when AQI levels are at historic highs, visibility is literally blurred, forests are cut relentlessly, and regions like the Aravallis are reduced to dumping grounds, it becomes evident that something is deeply broken. 

The crisis is not only environmental; it is political and moral. Our regimes continue to function as if nature is infinite, resilient, and silent. But nature is neither limitless nor silent anymore—it is responding, and the consequences are visible everywhere. 

This brings us to a crucial question: On what basis should future governments be formed?

Should political power still be decided purely on ideology, caste, religion, or economic promises? Or is it time to evaluate leadership on parameters such as air quality, tree cover, water security, pollution levels, cleanliness, and the sustainability of future generations? 

I firmly believe that the next generation of voters—the youth—are far more aware and informed than ever before. They will not vote merely on narratives that have existed for decades. They will ask different questions: 

• What is the AQI of my city?
• How many trees are being protected or planted?
• What is the state of water and soil?
• Is development sustainable, or merely destructive?

This shift in thinking is the foundation of biocracy.  

Biocracy may be unrealistic. Can trees, rivers, mountains, animals, or soil have rights? Can they be represented in governance? It may sound impossible today—but history tells us otherwise.  

A hundred years ago, most countries did not allow all citizens to vote. Universal suffrage once seemed unthinkable. If someone had proposed it then, it would have been dismissed as impractical or idealistic. Yet today, it is a fundamental democratic principle. Similarly, recognising ecological entities as stakeholders in governance may seem radical now, but it may well become inevitable. Because without protecting nature, no political system—however powerful—can survive. 

Biocracy redefines responsibility. 

The photo of Kunal in the lap of Aravali