The Science, Technology and Policy Studies section of the University of Twente is welcoming everyone to the online event, with Anna Berti Suman giving a presentation followed by questions and discussion.
For more information please contact [email protected]
What is the event about
The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action-funded Sensing for Justice (SensJus) project researches the potential of grassroots-driven environmental (health) monitoring, i.e. reactive Citizen Science, as a source of evidence in environmental justice litigation, and as a tool for conflict mediation in extra-judicial setting. There are currently “grey zones” of Citizen Science where its recognition and valorisation is more difficult than for established, larger-scale, EU-funded citizen science initiatives. These concern very local, spontaneous, small-scale, and low-budget initiatives that are not supported by a public agency nor linked with an academic institution, and that deploy in contexts dominated by high social distrust and conflict.
What Ms. Suman will discuss
Through fieldwork, Ms. Suman has explored specific instances of this type of citizen science, for example in Basilicata where lay people are monitoring the impact of oil pollution on their land, exposing themselves to legal risks and to risks for their own health. During her presentation, she will illustrate preliminary findings stemming from SensJus and stimulate a collective reflection along the following lines:
- The need to establish spaces where experts and peers can advise less structured and more spontaneous citizen science initiatives also in complying with applicable laws and boosting the judicial potential of citizen science.
- The recognition at the legal (or at least political) level of more ‘reactive’ forms of citizen science, as suggested by the literature.
- The reflection on new forms of communication that bring a wider audience closer to citizen science & the law, i.e., through drawings and story-telling (see relevant sources here and here).
About the speaker
Anna Berti Suman is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow and former Dutch Research Council Fellow at the European Commission Joint Research Centre. Through the project “SensJus”, Anna is performing research on the potential of civic monitoring as a source of evidence for environmental litigation and as a tool to foster environmental mediation.
After completing the legal practice and passing the qualifying examination, Anna is Qualified Barrister in environmental and climate law under the Bar Association of Rome, following cases at the Law Firm Dini-Saltalamacchia and at Systasis – Study Centre for the Management of Environmental Conflicts, Milan.
Anna’s page on the JRC Science Hub can be visited at: https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/anna-berti-suman_en