This collection of essays presented at the XV International Congress of the International Society for Ecological Economics in Puebla, Mexico, starts from the recognition of the global damage and disruption resulting from the abuse of the use of natural resources, and the impacts on the environment caused by the excessive and complex consumption of modern societies, which has marginalized innumerable rural communities. It lends particular attention to the responses of diverse groups of actors that have reacted with theoretical and productive proposals, as well as with social movements and confrontations for the defense of territories that are being impacted at the local level with global repercussions. The book is organized in six important themes in the debate between the reigning  economic system and its environmental and social effects: paradigms, energy, ecosystem services, sustainability, social conflicts, and food systems.