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Climate Rights and Remedies Project

29 March 2022: Prof. Christoph Rehmann-Sutter

The second Ursula Brunner Lecture

On 29 March 2022, the second Ursula Brunner Lecture took place at the University of Zurich. The lecture concerned the topic of 'Contemporary and Asynchronous Climate Justice: Political Ethics in the Biosphere' ('Kontemporäre und asynchrone Klimagerechtigkeit: politische Ethik in der Biosphäre').

In his lecture, Prof. Rehmann-Sutter discussed global warming as a phenomenon caused predominantly by industrialized nations, which however disproportionately affects people living in the global South. He argued that continuing or even simply to allowing this process represents an injustice, as does the privileging of those alive today at the expense of future generations. In his criticism of John Rawls' conception of political justice, Amartya Sen insists that there is no need for an indisputable ideal of 'just' conditions to be able to recognize injustice (as a deviation from justice) and to fight for a change in societal structures. This same argument can be made in the context of climate policy. Prof. Rehmann-Sutter argued that, in order to counter both dimensions of injustice, we need a new terrestrial ethics that incorporates a post-colonial perspective.

Prof. Rehmann-Sutter's intervention was followed by a comment by Dr. Corina Heri, and by a discussion. For those who were unable to attend the event, the full recording (in German) is available below. 

Video recording of the event

For those who were unable to attend the event, the full recording (in German) is available below. 

Event flyer

For more information about the event, including the programme and information on the speakers, please download the event flyer (PDF, 420 KB).