Public Engagement
I have grouped my engagement activities under six headings.
1: INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE, DEMOCRACY AND INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN
I have worked for a number of years on ways of reforming existing political institutions and political practices to minimize short-termism and to give adequate protection to the interests of future generations. A failure to think ahead can result in imposing unnecessary costs on current generations and violating responsibilities to future generations. For example, focussing exclusively on the immediate short-term can lead to engaging in military conflict without having an exit strategy; underinvesting in early years education and projects which will come to fruition in the future; not tackling the fundamental causes of social problems and merely addressing the symptoms; failing to mitigate climate change and other problems, whose most harmful effects will be felt in the future; under-investment in infrastructure; and, delaying dealing with difficult challenges, such as those associated with ageing societies. For a recent paper on the problem of 'Harmful Short-Termism' and how to reform political institutions to address it see my paper
* 'Democratic Reform, Intergenerational Justice and Governing for the Long Term'. On 15th July 2019 I spoke on this issue at the Fifth Nature of Prosperity Event - 'Reviving Democracy' - with Miriam Ronzoni, Jonathan Rowson, Isabelle Ferreras, Will Davies, Caroline Lucas MP (Green), Jesse Norman MP (Con) and Rowan Williams (104th Archbishop of Canterbury).
For a short online article on the problem and what can be done see:
* 'Political Short-Termism', Academic Foresights no.16 July-December (2016).
I have also spoken at various policy events on ways that democratic processes can be reformed to overcome such harmful short-termism and better realize intergenerational justice. These include talks at the following:
* 28 September 2015: the 'High Level Hearing: How can the Decisions of Today’s Europe Better Consider Future Needs?', held at the European Parliament, Brussels (organised by the World Future Council and Mr Benedek Jávor MEP Greens, co-hosted with Ms Sirpa Pietikainen MEP (EPP) and Mr Jo Leinen MEP (SnD)). For a summary note see here.
* 28-29 April 2015: 'Essential Ingredients for a Sustainable Future – Why do we need Independent Institutions, and How Should they Work for the Long Term?' (Cardiff). This was hosted by the Welsh Government, Cynnal Cymru, the Welsh Commissioner for Sustainable Futures, World Future Council, and the Oxford Martin Programme on 'Human Rights for Future Generations'. It brought together, policy makers, civil servants, members from NGOs, and academics.
* 21 October 2014: 'How Can Institutional Mechanisms Safeguard for Tomorrow, Today?', University of Oxford. This brought together academics, policymakers and members from NGOs - all with expertise on designing institutions to address myopic policy-making. The other speakers included Oras Tynkkynen (Member of the Finnish Parliament, and Vice-Chair of the Finnish Committee for the Future), Peter Davies (Welsh Commissioner for Sustainable Futures), and Catherine Pearce (Director of 'Future Justice', World Future Council).
* 24-26 April 2014: 'Model Institutions for a Sustainable Future: A Comparative Constitutional Law Perspective', hosted by the Hungarian Deputy-Ombudsman for Future Generations, Budapest.
One of my proposals for safeguarding the rights of future generations in democratic political processes was quoted by the Rt Hon Ed Miliband (then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change) in his speech ‘The Road to Copenhagen’ at the LSE on 17 November 2009. See here. (You have to listen very carefully at 27 minutes and 29 seconds in!)
2: ETHICS, JUSTICE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
I have worked closely with members of various political institutions, public bodies, NGOs, human rights organizations, research and policy institutes, and international institutions on the ethical issues arising from climate change. This has taken various forms:
2.A. CO-AUTHORED PAPERS: First, it has resulted in some co-authored papers.
These include:
[1] Sivan Kartha, Simon Caney, Navroz Dubash, Greg Muttitt 'Whose Carbon is Burnable? Equity Considerations in the Allocation of a ‘Right to Extract’', Climatic Change vol.150 nos.1-2 (2018), pp.117-129. This is available here.
[2] Sivan Kartha, Tom Athanasiou, Simon Caney, Elizabeth Cripps, Kate Dooley, Navroz Dubash, Teng Fei, Paul Harris, Christian Holz, Bård Lahn, Darrrel Moellendorf, Benito Müller, J. Timmons Roberts, Ambuj Sagar, Henry Shue, Peter Singer & Harald Winkler 'Cascading Biases Against Poorer Countries in Robiou du Pont et al', Nature Climate Change vol.8 no.5 May (2018), pp.348-349.
2.B. REPORTS: Second, I have written several reports and background papers. These include:
[1] Oxfam USA (2015/2016). I wrote a commissioned paper on 'Climate Change, Equity and Stranded Assets' for Oxfam USA. To avoid dangerous climate change it is necessary to keep some fossil fuels in the ground. This paper examined the ethical issues surrounding the stranding of carbon assets. [18,000 words] The report can be found here. For commentary see this and this and this.
[2] Mary Robinson Foundation: Climate Justice (2014). I wrote a commissioned paper on 'Applying the Principle of Intergenerational Equity to the 2015 Multilateral Processes' for the Mary Robinson Foundation Climate Justice. The paper discusses six proposals for promoting intergenerational equity in the multilateral negotiations concerning climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals. [25,000 words] This informed the Mary Robinson Foundation's position paper on 'Meeting the Needs of Future Generations', a copy of which can be found here.
[3] I was a Contributing Author of 'Chapter 3: Social, Economic and Ethical Concepts and Methods’ of Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change: Working Group III Contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), 207-282. The report can be found here.
[4] I was a member of the working party that produced the Nuffield Council on Bioethics report on Biofuels: Ethical Issues (London: Nuffield Council of Bioethics, 2011). The report proposed six principles to guide biofuels policy. It is available here.
[5] International Council on Human Rights Policy (2010): I wrote a commissioned background paper on 'Climate Technology Transfer: A Derivation of Rights- and Duties- Bearers from Fundamental Human Rights' for the International Council on Human Rights Policy's Beyond Technology Transfer: Protecting Human Rights in a Climate-Constrained World (Geneva: International Council on Human Rights Policy, 2011). The report can be found here.
* I have also served as an advisor for the International Council on Human Rights Policy Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide (Geneva: ICHRP, 2008). The report can be found here.
[6] World Bank (2009): I wrote a commissioned background paper on ‘Ethics and Climate Change’ for the World Bank’s World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change (Washington DC: World Bank, 2010). [16,500 words]
2.C. TALKS: In addition to the above, I have also given talks at many public events on climate change, justice and rights. Some recent talks include:
* 26th-27th September 2016: 'Justice and the Stranding of Fossil Fuel Assets', Fossil Fuel Supply and Climate Policy: An International Conference, Oxford, organized by Stockholm Environment Institute.
* 16th June 2016: 'Justice, Loss and Damage', Framing Climate Change Loss and Damage after Paris, UCL.
* 24-25th September 2015: 'Justice, Trusteeship and the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy', Justice and Climate Transitions, Institut d’études avancées, Paris.
* 26-27th August 2015: 'Climate Change and International Justice – A Human Rights Based Approach to Non-Economic Loss and Damage', Expert Workshop on Non-Economic Loss and Damage, 'Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)', Bonn [via Skype].
* 7-10th July 2015: 'A Just Response to Climate Change', Our Common Future under Climate Change, UNESCO and Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris.
They also include speaking at events organised by UNESCO, the Trade Union Congress, the Joseph Rowntree Trust, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, the International Council on Human Rights Policy, the 'Transformational Climate Science' Conference (organised by the Meterological Office and the Universities of Exeter and Leeds), the Oxford Martin School, and Policy Network.
I have also given an Oxford Amnesty Lecture on environmental sustainability and intergenerational justice; and have spoken at the United Nations Office in Geneva at a meeting on “Human Rights and Climate Change: Exchange of Views between States, Intergovernmental Organizations, Civil Society, and Academia” (2 June 2008, Palais des Nations, Geneva).
2.D. ONLINE ARTICLES: Finally, I have written some online articles on issues concerning climate change:
* 'Climate Change Policy Should Pass a 'Human Rights Test'', SciDevNet 26th September (2012).
* A Response to Robert Pollin's 'Build the Green Economy', Boston Review July/August (2014), pp.26-27.
3: NUFFIELD COUNCIL ON BIOETHICS
First, I was a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics from 2014 to 2020. The Council produces reports on ethical issues that arise from advances in medical and biological research. Current projects include work on non-invasive prenatal testing, genome editing, cosmetic procedures, and clinical research concerning children. I was on the Steering Group for the project on 'naturalness'. For details see here.
I was also a member of the Working Group that prepared a report on 'Research in Global Health Emergencies'. The report was published in January 2020. For details see here.
4: BIOMETRICS AND FORENSIC ETHICS GROUP
I am a member of the 'Biometrics and Forensic Ethics Group' (BFEG). Its role and responsibilities are defined as follows "The remit of the group includes consideration of the ethical impact on society, groups and individuals of the capture, retention and use of human samples and biometric identifiers for purposes which fall within the purview of the Home Office, including the differentiation between, or identification of, individuals. The remit includes, but is not limited to, consideration of the ethical aspects of:
5: INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON SOCIAL PROGRESS
Second, I was an author for the report being produced by the International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP). The IPSP seeks to unite "the world’s leading researchers, sociologists, and economists in a single effort: Developing research-based, multi-disciplinary, non-partisan, action-driven solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time" (1). Its aim is to "harness the competence of hundreds of experts about social issues and will deliver a report addressed to all social actors, movements, organizations, politicians and decision-makers, in order to provide them with the best expertise on questions that bear on social change" (2). I was a Lead Author for Chapter 4 'Economic Growth, Human Development and Planetary Welfare' and a Contributing Author for Chapter 2 'Social Progress: A Compass'.
6: OTHER
I was also a member of the 'Philosophers' Committee', led by Jeremy Waldron. This was part of a project conceived of by Gordon Brown, to review the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in light of its history since 1948. For further information see here.
Papers
Public engagement raises a number of philosophical issues about the nature of 'public philosophy', and the norms that should govern it. I have published on the ways that academics can contribute to public debates concerning poverty and climate change, and outlined some norms that I think should guide any such engagement. See my:
‘Addressing Poverty and Climate Change: The Varieties of Social Engagement’, Ethics & International Affairs vol.26 no.2 (2012), pp.191-216.
1: INTERGENERATIONAL JUSTICE, DEMOCRACY AND INSTITUTIONAL DESIGN
I have worked for a number of years on ways of reforming existing political institutions and political practices to minimize short-termism and to give adequate protection to the interests of future generations. A failure to think ahead can result in imposing unnecessary costs on current generations and violating responsibilities to future generations. For example, focussing exclusively on the immediate short-term can lead to engaging in military conflict without having an exit strategy; underinvesting in early years education and projects which will come to fruition in the future; not tackling the fundamental causes of social problems and merely addressing the symptoms; failing to mitigate climate change and other problems, whose most harmful effects will be felt in the future; under-investment in infrastructure; and, delaying dealing with difficult challenges, such as those associated with ageing societies. For a recent paper on the problem of 'Harmful Short-Termism' and how to reform political institutions to address it see my paper
* 'Democratic Reform, Intergenerational Justice and Governing for the Long Term'. On 15th July 2019 I spoke on this issue at the Fifth Nature of Prosperity Event - 'Reviving Democracy' - with Miriam Ronzoni, Jonathan Rowson, Isabelle Ferreras, Will Davies, Caroline Lucas MP (Green), Jesse Norman MP (Con) and Rowan Williams (104th Archbishop of Canterbury).
For a short online article on the problem and what can be done see:
* 'Political Short-Termism', Academic Foresights no.16 July-December (2016).
I have also spoken at various policy events on ways that democratic processes can be reformed to overcome such harmful short-termism and better realize intergenerational justice. These include talks at the following:
* 28 September 2015: the 'High Level Hearing: How can the Decisions of Today’s Europe Better Consider Future Needs?', held at the European Parliament, Brussels (organised by the World Future Council and Mr Benedek Jávor MEP Greens, co-hosted with Ms Sirpa Pietikainen MEP (EPP) and Mr Jo Leinen MEP (SnD)). For a summary note see here.
* 28-29 April 2015: 'Essential Ingredients for a Sustainable Future – Why do we need Independent Institutions, and How Should they Work for the Long Term?' (Cardiff). This was hosted by the Welsh Government, Cynnal Cymru, the Welsh Commissioner for Sustainable Futures, World Future Council, and the Oxford Martin Programme on 'Human Rights for Future Generations'. It brought together, policy makers, civil servants, members from NGOs, and academics.
* 21 October 2014: 'How Can Institutional Mechanisms Safeguard for Tomorrow, Today?', University of Oxford. This brought together academics, policymakers and members from NGOs - all with expertise on designing institutions to address myopic policy-making. The other speakers included Oras Tynkkynen (Member of the Finnish Parliament, and Vice-Chair of the Finnish Committee for the Future), Peter Davies (Welsh Commissioner for Sustainable Futures), and Catherine Pearce (Director of 'Future Justice', World Future Council).
* 24-26 April 2014: 'Model Institutions for a Sustainable Future: A Comparative Constitutional Law Perspective', hosted by the Hungarian Deputy-Ombudsman for Future Generations, Budapest.
One of my proposals for safeguarding the rights of future generations in democratic political processes was quoted by the Rt Hon Ed Miliband (then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change) in his speech ‘The Road to Copenhagen’ at the LSE on 17 November 2009. See here. (You have to listen very carefully at 27 minutes and 29 seconds in!)
2: ETHICS, JUSTICE AND CLIMATE CHANGE
I have worked closely with members of various political institutions, public bodies, NGOs, human rights organizations, research and policy institutes, and international institutions on the ethical issues arising from climate change. This has taken various forms:
2.A. CO-AUTHORED PAPERS: First, it has resulted in some co-authored papers.
These include:
[1] Sivan Kartha, Simon Caney, Navroz Dubash, Greg Muttitt 'Whose Carbon is Burnable? Equity Considerations in the Allocation of a ‘Right to Extract’', Climatic Change vol.150 nos.1-2 (2018), pp.117-129. This is available here.
[2] Sivan Kartha, Tom Athanasiou, Simon Caney, Elizabeth Cripps, Kate Dooley, Navroz Dubash, Teng Fei, Paul Harris, Christian Holz, Bård Lahn, Darrrel Moellendorf, Benito Müller, J. Timmons Roberts, Ambuj Sagar, Henry Shue, Peter Singer & Harald Winkler 'Cascading Biases Against Poorer Countries in Robiou du Pont et al', Nature Climate Change vol.8 no.5 May (2018), pp.348-349.
2.B. REPORTS: Second, I have written several reports and background papers. These include:
[1] Oxfam USA (2015/2016). I wrote a commissioned paper on 'Climate Change, Equity and Stranded Assets' for Oxfam USA. To avoid dangerous climate change it is necessary to keep some fossil fuels in the ground. This paper examined the ethical issues surrounding the stranding of carbon assets. [18,000 words] The report can be found here. For commentary see this and this and this.
[2] Mary Robinson Foundation: Climate Justice (2014). I wrote a commissioned paper on 'Applying the Principle of Intergenerational Equity to the 2015 Multilateral Processes' for the Mary Robinson Foundation Climate Justice. The paper discusses six proposals for promoting intergenerational equity in the multilateral negotiations concerning climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals. [25,000 words] This informed the Mary Robinson Foundation's position paper on 'Meeting the Needs of Future Generations', a copy of which can be found here.
[3] I was a Contributing Author of 'Chapter 3: Social, Economic and Ethical Concepts and Methods’ of Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of Climate Change: Working Group III Contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014), 207-282. The report can be found here.
[4] I was a member of the working party that produced the Nuffield Council on Bioethics report on Biofuels: Ethical Issues (London: Nuffield Council of Bioethics, 2011). The report proposed six principles to guide biofuels policy. It is available here.
[5] International Council on Human Rights Policy (2010): I wrote a commissioned background paper on 'Climate Technology Transfer: A Derivation of Rights- and Duties- Bearers from Fundamental Human Rights' for the International Council on Human Rights Policy's Beyond Technology Transfer: Protecting Human Rights in a Climate-Constrained World (Geneva: International Council on Human Rights Policy, 2011). The report can be found here.
* I have also served as an advisor for the International Council on Human Rights Policy Climate Change and Human Rights: A Rough Guide (Geneva: ICHRP, 2008). The report can be found here.
[6] World Bank (2009): I wrote a commissioned background paper on ‘Ethics and Climate Change’ for the World Bank’s World Development Report 2010: Development and Climate Change (Washington DC: World Bank, 2010). [16,500 words]
2.C. TALKS: In addition to the above, I have also given talks at many public events on climate change, justice and rights. Some recent talks include:
* 26th-27th September 2016: 'Justice and the Stranding of Fossil Fuel Assets', Fossil Fuel Supply and Climate Policy: An International Conference, Oxford, organized by Stockholm Environment Institute.
* 16th June 2016: 'Justice, Loss and Damage', Framing Climate Change Loss and Damage after Paris, UCL.
* 24-25th September 2015: 'Justice, Trusteeship and the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy', Justice and Climate Transitions, Institut d’études avancées, Paris.
* 26-27th August 2015: 'Climate Change and International Justice – A Human Rights Based Approach to Non-Economic Loss and Damage', Expert Workshop on Non-Economic Loss and Damage, 'Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)', Bonn [via Skype].
* 7-10th July 2015: 'A Just Response to Climate Change', Our Common Future under Climate Change, UNESCO and Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris.
They also include speaking at events organised by UNESCO, the Trade Union Congress, the Joseph Rowntree Trust, the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Centre for Sustainable Energy, the International Council on Human Rights Policy, the 'Transformational Climate Science' Conference (organised by the Meterological Office and the Universities of Exeter and Leeds), the Oxford Martin School, and Policy Network.
I have also given an Oxford Amnesty Lecture on environmental sustainability and intergenerational justice; and have spoken at the United Nations Office in Geneva at a meeting on “Human Rights and Climate Change: Exchange of Views between States, Intergovernmental Organizations, Civil Society, and Academia” (2 June 2008, Palais des Nations, Geneva).
2.D. ONLINE ARTICLES: Finally, I have written some online articles on issues concerning climate change:
* 'Climate Change Policy Should Pass a 'Human Rights Test'', SciDevNet 26th September (2012).
* A Response to Robert Pollin's 'Build the Green Economy', Boston Review July/August (2014), pp.26-27.
3: NUFFIELD COUNCIL ON BIOETHICS
First, I was a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics from 2014 to 2020. The Council produces reports on ethical issues that arise from advances in medical and biological research. Current projects include work on non-invasive prenatal testing, genome editing, cosmetic procedures, and clinical research concerning children. I was on the Steering Group for the project on 'naturalness'. For details see here.
I was also a member of the Working Group that prepared a report on 'Research in Global Health Emergencies'. The report was published in January 2020. For details see here.
4: BIOMETRICS AND FORENSIC ETHICS GROUP
I am a member of the 'Biometrics and Forensic Ethics Group' (BFEG). Its role and responsibilities are defined as follows "The remit of the group includes consideration of the ethical impact on society, groups and individuals of the capture, retention and use of human samples and biometric identifiers for purposes which fall within the purview of the Home Office, including the differentiation between, or identification of, individuals. The remit includes, but is not limited to, consideration of the ethical aspects of:
- the application and operation of technologies which produce biometric and forensic data and identifiers
- services currently provided and techniques employed and proposals for new services and techniques
- applications for research involving access to biometric of forensic data
- other matters relating to the management, operation and use of biometric or forensic data". This is quoted from here.
5: INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON SOCIAL PROGRESS
Second, I was an author for the report being produced by the International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP). The IPSP seeks to unite "the world’s leading researchers, sociologists, and economists in a single effort: Developing research-based, multi-disciplinary, non-partisan, action-driven solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time" (1). Its aim is to "harness the competence of hundreds of experts about social issues and will deliver a report addressed to all social actors, movements, organizations, politicians and decision-makers, in order to provide them with the best expertise on questions that bear on social change" (2). I was a Lead Author for Chapter 4 'Economic Growth, Human Development and Planetary Welfare' and a Contributing Author for Chapter 2 'Social Progress: A Compass'.
6: OTHER
I was also a member of the 'Philosophers' Committee', led by Jeremy Waldron. This was part of a project conceived of by Gordon Brown, to review the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in light of its history since 1948. For further information see here.
Papers
Public engagement raises a number of philosophical issues about the nature of 'public philosophy', and the norms that should govern it. I have published on the ways that academics can contribute to public debates concerning poverty and climate change, and outlined some norms that I think should guide any such engagement. See my:
‘Addressing Poverty and Climate Change: The Varieties of Social Engagement’, Ethics & International Affairs vol.26 no.2 (2012), pp.191-216.
