Paolo Davide Farah, director of gLAWcal will chair the following conference
AFTER THE DEADLINE THE ABSTRACTS WILL BE ASSESSED IF ADDITIONAL LOTS ARE STILL AVAILABLE
The European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International Environmental Law is organizing an interdisciplinary International Conference on “Liberalism and Ecology in the Anthropocene” to be held at the University of Messina, Italy 30 June –1 July2022 in collaboration with West Virginia University, USA. This event is supported by the ESIL Interest Groupon International Legal Theory and Philosophy and co-organized by the Italian Society of Philosophy of Law (SIFD).
‘Liberalism’ is a term with many implications: it can be understood as a doctrine,and as the endorsement of either economic liberalism or political liberalism (i.e., the protection of individual rights against the threat of the intervention of the State or other institutions).
Against this theoretical background, the present workshop aims at discussing the foundational premises of liberalism from the perspective of both the current debate on the global ecological crisis and the cluster of problems posed by the so-called‘Age of the Anthropocene’.
In fact, especially if we look at the axis which both bridges and separates Eastern and Western political traditions, a number of urgent questions seem to emerge as far as protection of the environment and balancing individual freedom with environmental equilibrium are concerned. The retrospective and prospective thinking offered by moral and legal philosophy provides a useful tool in this enquiry. Moral and legal philosophy require developing an understanding of the basic components of principles, how and why these principles are formulated as part of unwritten moral codes or laws, and the continuing rationale for such principles. For instance, the principle of inter- generational equity is central to current debates on the impact of human behaviour on the climate, and has longstanding roots in developing international environmental law, as well as specialist legal regimes relating to common heritage of mankind, and aboriginal title land and land-related rights.The principle of inter-generational equity essentially promotes the mindful usage and development of natural and cultural resources to ensure these are not passed onto future generations in a worse condition than which they were received. But why should future concerns trouble the minds of those with immediate wants and needs? Here, there is a tradition of liberal philosophy that offers a rationale corresponding to this question.
We welcome papers addressing the following questions(and akin):
•Who is responsible, from a liberal point of view, for the environmental policies of today, with respect to the consequences produced for the rights of future generations?
•What is the ethical grounding of environmental rights in the age of Anthropocene?
•How can the Anthropocene be conceptualized at different spatial,temporal, and institutional levels?
•How can the Anthropocene can integrate temporal and spatial aspects of human-planetary interaction?
•Are the rights of future generations based on a legal fiction and, if so, how are they compatible with the model of liberal societies?
•Is there a right to develop as well as a right to undevelop?
•Are environmental duties subsumed and snuffed out by environmental rights?
•How have regimes such as the concept of the common heritage of mankind in international law slowed down development?
The international conference will take place in person, on the premises of the University of Messina on 30 June –1 July 2022.
Applications can be submitted via e-mail to both the following addresses: paolo.farah@glawcal.org.uk, alessio.logiudice@unime.it, by 30 April 2022 (after the deadline the abstracts will be assessed if additional slots are still available. Please reach out to the conference chairs for information).
Please include the following information:
The author’s name and affiliation; A 500-700-word abstract;
The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications, if applicable; The author’s contact details, including e-mail address and phone number;
The author's preferred date to present at the conference and their preference to present in person or online;
Co-authored papers are also welcomed.
This call is open to all senior and junior academics, as well as, business professionals and practitioners who are members of international organizations or NGOs that work in these areas.
The conference organizers have publication plans for the presented papers. The precise nature and format of publication will bediscussed in more detail during the conference, however, the organizers preliminary vision is to publish an edited book with an international publisher or a special section or special issue of a Journal.
West Virginia University, USA & gLAWcal – Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development, United Kingdom
University of Messina, Italy
Chamu Kuppuswamy (University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom), Martin Svec (Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic), Ozlem Ulgen (University of Nottingham, United Kingdom), Carmela Panella(University of Messina,Italy) Daria Boklan (HSE University)
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