“Earth Day” – Highlights of the NCP Research and Recognition Events for the Good Stories Movement

The Earth Day – Making Peace with the Earth for the Present and Future Generations Conference was opened by Pascal Buléon, director of the House Research Humanities (Maison de la Recherche en Sciences Humaines), who stressed the relevance of the excellent research that the Normandy Chair for Peace has been developing to add to the efforts of making peace with the Earth.

The event was dedicated to presenting the outcomes of the work developed by Normandy Chair for Peace in its various lines of research, namely: Process of change of fundamental rights and legal systems; Good Stories; Climate justice; Indigenous Peoples; Education for the rights and duties of future generations; Environmental ethics; Bioethics; Transitional justice and environmental issues; Legal indicators; Economics and law of conservation, protection and restoration of nature; Representation and Defence of future generations; the compass of possibilities. Émilie Gaillard, general coordinator of NCP, presented the lines of research, indicating the researchers involved in each one, as well as the collection of publications launched by NCP, which comprise the following books published by Peter Lang:
Vol. 1 – Legal Actions for Future Generations, Émilie Gaillard and David Forman (eds.), 2020;
Vol. 2 – Mesurer l’effectivité du droit de l’environnement. Des indicateurs juridiques au service du développement durable, Michel Prieur et Christophe Bastin (dir.), 2021;
Vol. 3 – Measuring the Effectivity of Environmental Law. Legal Indicators for Sustainable Development, Michel Prieur and Christophe Bastin (eds.), 2021;
Vol. 4 – Midiendo la efectividad de la Legislación Ambiental. Indicadores jurídicos al servicio del desarrollo sostenible, Michel Prieur y Christophe Bastin (eds.), 2021;
Vol. 5 – Regards croisés sur le(s) transhumanisme(s), Émilie Gaillard et Amandine Cayol (dir.), 2021.

She also presented the current ongoing projects, as well as the future ones, which include a publication on environmental ethics, a recently approved project on transculturalism and future generations, the Summer School to be held in September, and the creation of a master’s degree on rights of future generations and juridic transition, which can reach the international level if supported by the NCP’s strategic partners. The event also had the participation of Alyn Ware (virtually) and Nicole Ann Ponce explaining the Global Youth Movement, and the strategy of going to court to claim the climate as a global common, based on equity, human rights, and the rights of future generations, as well as Alexandra Aragão (virtually) presenting the new line of research on responsible legal research and innovation, inviting all to send contributions for the publication that is being organized. Also, Leslie Cloud, via video recording, explained the ongoing work being developed in the indigenous peoples’ line of research.
Further, Professor Nicholas Robinson presented the results of the brainstorming week in Mohonk that, aligned with the idea of responsible research, was aimed at discussing how to develop a new kind of research that achieves practical effect, compatible with academic contribution in the age of the Anthropocene, that takes into account future generations, and seeks to achieve peace with the Earth.

He affirmed the importance of recognizing the knowledge and wisdom of indigenous peoples and integrating them into the decision-making process. He stressed the importance of international cooperation and the message conveyed by the NCP, which plays a key role in bridging the gap to connect the global environmental agenda with the local one. He also pointed out the importance of using the United Nations General Assembly as a strategy to spread the movement that is already taking place to transform environmental thinking and restore peace with the Earth, and also highlighted the organization of a side event at the Stockholm+50 Conference to deeper discuss this topic.

In addition, the certificates awarded by the NCP to the guardians of the future generations were presented. Receiving the certificate were: Gustave Speth, founder of the World Resources Institute; David Boyd; Julia Olson and Mary Wood, authors of the Juliana vs. United States case; John Knox, among others (who else?).

The event also had the presence of Nicolas de Rivière, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, who stressed France’s active engagement in the fight against climate change, and expressed the French Mission in New York’ willingness to pursue the mobilization to achieve peace with nature, and David O’Connor, who addressed the importance of environmental diplomacy to achieve sustainable development goals.