Dr. Emily Jones, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Essex, will lead a seminar on the theme of ‘Posthuman International Law and the Rights of Nature’.

The rights of nature are beginning to be recognised in many countries but have yet to be recognised in international law.

Seeking to challenge and re-think the anthropocentrism that permeates International Environmental Law, this seminar will discuss the synergies between posthuman theory and the legal recognition of the rights of nature, reflecting on the application of both to international law.

The lecture will draw on multiple examples of contexts where nature’s rights have been recognised, including in New Zealand, India, Ecuador, the US, and beyond, to think through the similarities and differences between these contexts and the lessons to be learned.

Reflecting on the possibility of the recognition of the rights of nature in international law, the talk will conclude with an evaluation of the ways that posthuman theory can be applied to help inform the rights of nature project, seeking to ensure that the rights of nature live up to their transformative posthuman potential. 

The seminar is organized by Dr. Matilda Arvidsson, as part of the project ‘AI, the social contract, and democracy’, financed by WASP-HS in collaboration with the international law and environmental law groups at the Department of Law of the University of Gothenburg.

The seminar is open to researchers, students at an advanced level, and the public.

No registration is needed.