ClimActiv · Climate Activism and Harm to Innocents
Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Duration
- 2021-07-01 → 2023-06-30
- EU contribution
- €224,934
- Participants
- 1
- Scheme
- MSCA-IF
Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.
Results in brief
Climate Activism and Harm to Innocents
The project aimed at morally assessing forms of climate activism that risk harming innocents. Climate activism was defined broadly, encompassing any attempt by an individual or group to push for climate-change mitigation policies. Climate activism ultimately aims at preventing serious climate harms. Such activism, however, often risks imposing economic, democratic, and other costs on people. The research focused on two forms of activism: climate direct action, and corporate climate lobbying.
Data: CORDIS, © European Union
Project objective
Climate change poses ethical challenges to political activists. On the one hand, climate change threatens hundreds of millions of human lives. On the other hand, activists who want to prevent such a catastrophe may need to resort, in despair, to political means that seriously harm innocents. This project will assess in what circumstances, if at all, harming innocents in climate activism is morally justified. The project uniquely combines political philosophy methods (analogical reasoning, conceptual analysis, and proportionality assessments) with insights from climate-science and political-science studies on the effects of climate change and activism.The research outcomes will be disseminated to academic audiences (three articles; three international conferences and workshops; two online opinion notes) and the wider public (newspapers and online blog notes, a general public conference at a public library). LSE’s Department of Government provides optimal infrastructure (the world’s largest social sciences library, researchers working on closely related topics, dedicated staff for project management assistance). The supervisor is a leading expert in political activism. I have expertise in the key fields (political lesser evil, ideal/nonideal theory), a strong familiarity with the methods, experience in dissemination (international conference and workshop organisation, media appearances), and a network with researchers in influential institutions (UCL, Frankfurt University, Princeton University). With this Fellowship, I will expand my research network, acquire new research skills and knowledge from LSE researchers (in political activism, democratic theory, and human impacts from climate change), and publish articles in leading journals, increasing my chances of getting a permanent academic position in the European Research Area. I will transfer to the hosts knowledge (on global poverty, political lesser evil), as well as networking and conference organisation skills.
Original text from CORDIS.
Participants
- LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE · LondonCoordinatorUnited Kingdom
Links
Data: CORDIS, © European Union