On 18/11/2023 a TEDx Talk entitled 'Unveiling environmental truths through civic monitoring' took place in Varese.
Anna Berti Suman, environmental lawyer, researcher and activist (former JRC scientist) presented first-hand experiences from different parts of the world, from the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador to Basilicata, Italy, both oil-rich regions suffering from extractivism. The conference explored untold stories of civic sentinels, local everyday heroes who use their knowledge and senses to fight environmental injustice.
Sensing for Justice was one of the case studies empowering communities affected by environmental problems to present their evidence in court for real change.
The talk also discussed the intersection of law, activism and art as tools to promote environmental justice and imagines a world in which diversity of ‘knowledges’ transforms our approach to the governance of environmental problems. This makes it also especially relevant to the ongoing theme of NaturArchy, and recent LASER panel organised by JRC SciArt on this same topic.
The talk hoped to inspire a drive to become sentinels and contribute to a future where everyone plays a vital role in protecting our planet. The talk was given at a TEDx event, using the TED conference format but organised independently by a local group, TEDx Varese.
You can watch a full recording of the talk, here.
Resources:
- A new interview on Falling Walls page about SensJus: https://falling-walls.com/discover/articles/sensing-for-justice-sensjus/
- A co-authored scientific article on civic monitoring of coal ash pollution in the U.S.: https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/lehr-2023-2009/html?lang=en
- A scientific article on the Aarhus Convention’s new frontiers: https://www.the-ies.org/resources/seeking-natural-justice
- A through-provoking co-authored scientific article on the Sensing Contract: https://www.rivisteweb.it/doi/10.1415/108703
- A scientific article on citizen-gathered data to support public services under emergencies: https://ojs.law.cornell.edu/index.php/joal/article/view/141
- A former English-only article on the Paradigm of the Civic Sentinel now translated in Italian: https://www.rqda.eu/?dl_id=323
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