“Rights of Future Generations”, a new topic of study in Sciences Po Rennes
On a sheet she taped to the classroom wall is a Native American symbol in red marker – a sort of stepped cross that represents Earth and the four elements. “Mapuches [un peuple qui vit au Chili et en Argentine] Believe that an imbalance on Earth will create an imbalance for humans and lead to more war and conflict”, explains Leslie Cloud, a lawyer specializing in Aboriginal law Students are taking notes in front of him. “Thinking about the impact of our decisions today on future generations is at the heart of their philosophy. Knowing this allows our students to integrate new thinking to provide a transgenerational opportunity for the projects they will undertake as professionals”, Explains the academic, who himself lived in a Mapuche community for several years.
Since the beginning of the school year, Sciences Po Rennes has offered a Master’s program on “Future Generation Law”, initiated by private law lecturer Emily Gallard: “The challenge is to integrate the interests of future generations into our political and technological decisions through a transgenerational approach. » A similar process “A New Civilization Pact, a Paradigm Shift to Protect Earth and the Integrity of the Human Species”, He believes. An emerging field of law, shown by the increasing legal action on behalf of future generations, particularly in the environment and health.
Students enrolled in this specialty pursue, for example, lessons on nature or animals as a matter of law, on epidemiology, climate change, biodiversity, pollution. Or even on strategies, especially psychological, environmental and health. “It’s about giving them the tools to understand the complexity of transitions and think about dynamic laws.”Emily Gallard explains.
Train “Transitioner”
This multidisciplinarity appeals to Olivia Richard, student: “Everything is connected, as we have seen with epidemics, whose rise is the loss of biodiversity, the expansion of intensive farming, globalization…” Beside him, his comrade Samira Ben Ali is abundant. “The topics we are going to work on cross disciplines. For example, when we talk about climate change, we talk about economics, biodiversity, law… This course gives us a solid foundation, because we will later be actors who will build bridges between fields”, explained the young woman. Sullivan Henry, too, was attracted by the legal implications of this course, which allowed understanding “How law can be a lever to advance the fight against climate change”.
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