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Rights of Nature in times of climate crisis: Opportunity or obstacle?

Project description

A closer look at the Rights of Nature in a warming world

As the climate crisis intensifies, new legal frameworks are emerging to protect nature. The Rights of Nature movement has gained traction, especially in promoting biodiversity and combating climate change. However, there is a gap in environmental philosophy regarding its broader implications. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the RONCLIM project aims to fill this gap. By examining the Rights of Nature through a philosophical lens, it explores the tensions between the Global North and South and how different ontologies shape environmental protection. Through case studies such as the Mar Menor, it will create a framework to guide policymakers in aligning political and legal strategies, fostering stronger, more resilient ecosystems.

Objective

During the last decades, Rights of Nature have become an essential legal device for promoting environmental protection and therefore directly contribute to the implementation of SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (Climate action) as well as the Horizon Europe EU Missions 1 and 3. While there has been research on Rights of Nature within legal studies, political ecology, and political science, there is still a gap within environmental philosophy regarding this topic. In RONCLIM, I explore the Rights of Nature from a philosophical perspective and with a particular focus on the tensions between the Global South and the Global North and between Rights of Nature and the climate crisis. In the first year, I analyse the opportunities and risks associated with the construction of Rights of Nature based on ontologies from the Global South and the Global North. Based on this research, I develop an ontological framework that can explain how Rights of Nature are embedded in different ontologies and how translation between them can be assessed. In the second year, I study the case of the Mar Menor and investigate whether Rights of Nature could increase the resilience of ecosystems and to what extent they could be used against the energy transition by “not-in-my-backyard” activists. This study results in a normative framework that can help law- and policymakers to navigate the overlaps and tensions between Rights of Nature and climate legislation.
The Kassel Institute for Sustainability is the ideal host for RONCLIM as it has expertise in both Rights of Nature and policy-making and provides the necessary infrastructure for disseminating the research findings to both academic and non-academic audiences. In this way, RONCLIM will not only contribute to the academic debate, but also influence the public discourse on this topic and promote policy and legal action to protect nature and address the climate crisis.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-PF-01

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Coordinator

UNIVERSITAET KASSEL
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 202 125,12
Address
MONCHEBERGSTRASSE 19
34125 KASSEL
Germany

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Region
Hessen Kassel Kassel, Kreisfreie Stadt
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

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