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- Deliverable 2.3: research report on society and naturePublication . Alves, Fátima; Vidal, Diogo Guedes; Valentim, Cristina Sá; Guazzini, Andrea; Duradoni, Mirko; Costa, Paulo Manuel; Novelli, Luca; Puttini, SpartacoIn this deliverable “Research Report on Society and Nature” (D2.3) we intend to contribute to three major aspects of the Phoenix project, namely, the understanding of society-nature relations and their construction, the sociocultural influence on the implementation of the European Green Deal, and the methodological approaches to foster green transition in each pilot territory. The deliverable firstly aims to contribute to (1) a broader understanding of how societies and individuals in each pilot territory make sense and produce meanings about their relation with nature and the environment from different socio-cultural backgrounds, as sociocultural constructions; (2) secondly, to understand to what extent different sociocultural constructions of Nature and Environment can condition the implementation of European Green Deal measures and contribute to the ecological transition; and thirdly, (3) based on the social construction of nature and the environment in each pilot territory, provide considerations for the identification of the best methodological approach for deliberative and participatory processes ). This report emphasizes that the successful involvement of people in the ecological transition requires mechanisms of participation that are grounded in fair, inclusive, and plural processes. A transformative policy for ecological transition must deeply understand the biophysical, socio-economic, and cultural characteristics of the territories, requiring transformative processes at both individual and structural levels.
- The rights of nature and the human right to nature: an overview of the European legal system and challenges for the ecological transitionPublication . Alves, Fátima; Costa, Paulo Manuel; Novelli, Luca; Vidal, Diogo GuedesThe recognition of the Rights of Nature has been established though several constitutional, legislative, and judicial enactments, which aim to provide legal protection for non-humans’ entities and natural systems. Although some countries have made progress in recognizing the rights of nature, the prevailing assumption remains that nature is a resource to be exploited for human benefit. In the context of ecological transition debates, it is important to understand how the European legal system perceives Nature and its rights. Achieving a significant shift in legal and cultural norms that prioritize nature’s protection may be challenging.Methods: This paper reports on research conducted in a sample of 6 countries within the PHOENIX consortium, a European H2020 project that aims to develop participatory methodologies and democratic innovations to facilitate the ecological transition as envisioned by the European Green Deal, whose objective was to find out how these countries embodied the Rights of nature into their legal systems, both at constitutional level and at the level of environmental and related laws and policies.Results: The results indicate that in legislative terms, concepts of nature are absent, and instead, the term environment or natural resources are used. Furthermore, rights of nature are rarely recognized in all countries, with anthropocentric and in instrumental views prevailing. In contrast, the human right to Nature is widely recognized in all countries, referring to the right of all individuals to access to and live in a healthy environment.Discussion: Despite the importance of the human right to Nature as a matter of equity and justice, failure to recognise the rights of nature and protect/respect its limits may constitute a potential barrier to ecological transition.