Program

In classical humanism, man alone is the bearer of values. Hume's law (Hume, 1740) is therefore followed, according to which it is forbidden to deduce what should be from a simple description of what exists, and Moore (1903) denounces the naturalist fallacy that reduces the 'good' to this or that natural structure. In this perspective, ecology takes on a fundamentally normative character. It does not just prohibit, it prescribes. There are, however, other approaches that endow natural entities with an intrinsic value. This is the case of Arne Naess, the founder of deep ecology (1973), for whom the world is not written in mathematical language (unless the world and its representation are confused), or of environmental ethics, following Routley (1973). Thus, after recalling the main elements of the debate, as well as their presuppositions, we will argue in favour of a virtuous ecology, in the sense of the epistemology of virtues, and thus against all forms of abhumanism and anti-nature

The aim of our study is to investigate the influence of teaching on the development of environmental moral judgement in first and second graders. A total of 116 first and second graders participated in the study. We proposed 'moral dilemmas' including different components: nature (fauna and flora), pollution and sorting. The interviews were conducted individually and recorded. The responses were analysed using the interjudge method (Kappa coefficient: 0.85). With regard to the responses, the majority of the children justified their answers according to biocentric reasoning for the first and second graders, regardless of the teaching. It should be noted that there is no difference between the different dimensions. Children are predisposed to environmental morality; teaching reinforces this morality in practical areas.

Coming Soon

For a long time, man - at least in the West - believed himself to be the master and possessor of an infinite nature with inexhaustible resources. The possible end of abundance in the natural environment and the threats to the future of generations to come due to global warming and the resulting disruption have changed our existential relationship with the earth: it is no longer seen only as a res corporalis, but also as an element that underpins our existence, becoming the very condition of that existence. This idea has forced Western societies to change their view of social systems and environmental issues as they relate to law. Climate change is an (almost indisputable) reality facing European states, which has motivated the adoption of non-binding and increasingly binding texts for several years in order to achieve objectives in line with their international commitments through the ratification of international treaties (e.g. the Tokyo and Paris agreements, but also the Aarhus Convention). As regards the legal basis for these actions, although the term 'climate change' does not appear in the Treaties, the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union indicates in its preamble 'responsibilities and duties towards other people, the human community and future generations'. The Charter also requires the Union and its Member States, when acting within the framework of Union law, to adopt an approach to sustainable development based on these rights, while Article 37 stresses the need for 'a high level of environmental protection and the improvement of the quality of the environment to be integrated into the policies of the Union and ensured in accordance with the principle of sustainable development'. The principle contained in this article is itself based on Articles 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and Articles 11 and 191 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). These legal bases have enabled the adoption of a wide range of policies and tools, including the EU's Sustainable Growth Strategy and the Green Deal. In its 2030 Agenda, the EU defines sustainable development as encompassing three equally important and interrelated dimensions: economic, environmental and social. The EU's commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, identified as the main cause of climate change (the increase in the concentration of these gases in the atmosphere being identified as responsible for global warming), will be particularly highlighted in our presentations, which will also emphasise the difficulties inherent in decision-making at EU level and the nature (and limitations) of these actions. Indeed, the latter are sometimes contested by the various actors who are recipients of them, who find them too difficult to apply (companies deemed to be polluting, for example) or who consider that they are not sufficient (NGOs, environmental protection associations, but also sub-state entities or private individuals).

In the current context of a triple crisis, ecological, social and democratic, the 'public word' seems to be marked by a loss of acceptability. This loss of acceptability has been accelerated by the verticality that has long been present in the relationship between citizens and institutions, as well as in the decision-making and functioning of institutions. Faced with this situation, a change is now taking place in the conception and nature of the legal norm. Technical norms appear to be the symptom of this new dependence of the norm on the environment of its implementation.

Fewer sparrows in the city, more large wading birds, ring-necked parakeets competing with jackdaws in the middle of cities, wild boars at the gates of the lecture halls on the Luminy campus. What are the environmental factors that lead to this situation; what are the strategies implemented by certain species to get by? How can certain cognitive abilities be useful in achieving this?

For a long time, the sea was considered to be an auxiliary waste bin: not only was the fate of the waste that disappeared from view considered to be settled, but it was also given a supposed 'self-cleansing power'. However, the Mediterranean, due to its small volume and semi-enclosed configuration, has limited exchanges with the open ocean. Moreover, it functions as a reduced model of an ocean, with significant and rapid exchanges between surface waters and deep waters, and highly variable currents. Consequently, the impacts of our pollution will remain neither local nor superficial ('hot potato' effect), until they potentially return to their area of origin (boomerang effect).

My presentation will focus on the role of the ocean-atmosphere interface, the boundary surface between two fluid media, which constitutes a zone of permanent exchanges of various kinds, in particular aerosols, whose influence on the climate is not yet well known. In the context of the increase in the occurrence of extreme events in the Mediterranean Sea, this presentation will identify the remaining obstacles and uncertainties, such as a better consideration of aerosols and scale factors in particular, on the evolution of climate.