Safecast premises. Tokyo. Japan - April 2019
In November 2022, SensJus won the 'Falling Walls' Award in the Science Engagement category. The project was judged as the best Science Engagement initiative among projects from all around the world. We have been invited to pitch the project during the Falling Walls Science Summit 2022, Berlin. Video below.
Early results of the research on these questions: 'The Formosa Case: A Step Forward on the Acceptance of Citizen-Collected Evidence in Environmental Litigation?'
How can the use of civic evidence in environmental litigation be legitimized on the basis of existing and new rights?
Early results of the research on these questions:
Citizen Sensing from a Legal Standpoint: Legitimizing the Practice under the Aarhus Framework
Could Citizen Sensing be conceived also as a form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) promoting environmental mediation and avoiding the conflict's escalation to courts?
Early results of the research on these questions: Striving for Good Environmental Information: Civic Sentinels of Oil Pollution in the South of the North
The envisaged opportunities of our idea are many, ranging from a closer connection of the affected people to environmental litigation, to a wider, more diverse and inclusive availability of evidence on critical environmental issues, to the possibility of even mitigating the conflict.
I - Citizen Sensing as a source of evidence in courts.
II - Towards a right to contribute to environmental information.
III - Mediating environmental conflicts through Citizen Sensing.
Drawing lessons for Europe, through comparison and
lesson-learning from successful and failed cases from all over the world, starting from the landmark Formosa case of 2019, Texas. We are also looking at cases in Latin America, Africa and Asia to bring insights back to Europe.
1 - The Formosa case of citizen scientists that brought to court a petrochemical company based in part on civic evidence (U.S)
2 - The AnalyzeBasilicata case of civic monitoring environmental health issues associated with oil extraction (Italy)
Several more under the radar, such as the civic water monitoring around the Lambro river, Lombardy (Italy); the air and noise monitoring around Malpensa Airport and the city of Milan (Italy); the civic observatory on flood risk on the Brenta Bacchiglione river basin, Veneto (Italy); the spill of plastic matter from a water treatment plant from Capaccio (Italy) to the Mediterranean; the case from Greenpeace Belgium and CurieuzeNeuzen (BE) on air quality data used in courts. More recently, we are turning to Latin America, Africa and Asia as civic actors and peer researchers are informing us on relevant cases.
SensJus funding will end on 31 August 2023. Ideas for creative ways to bring the project forward are very welcome! Please reach us with your suggestions and ideas.
The SensJus policy perspectives are briefs that take stock of lessons learned and analyses performed on more generalizable topics which intersect and intertwine with SensJus core focus. You can download the main briefs below:
We believe in the synergy of Art and Science. For a selection of SensJus drawings visit our dedicated page.
Get our free, open access graphic novel, now available in four languages:
- English - Italian - Spanish - French
The graphic novel tells in an approachable way the story of an ordinary girl that turns to civic environmental monitoring moved by concern.
Are you interested in translating this or any other SensJus resource in your own language? Feel free to reach us!
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On 1 Dec 2022, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions in the news section featured an interview where Anna shared in an interview how her career evolved, bringing her to shape the research project SensJus, supported by a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual fellowship. The interview is titled:
SensJus with two co-conveners - Marisa Ponti, University of Gothenburg; Nils Heyen, Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI; and live illustrator Alice Toietta - organised a session titled "Rethinking public services provision: citizen science to support public and environmental health services" at the European Citizen Science...
The European Citizen Science Association Conference 2022 took place from October 5-8 in Berlin, Germany. SensJus participated and convened two interactive, highly dynamic, in-person sessions. Here, we reflect on the main takeaways of "Interactive Session 9: The wickedness of citizen science, law and planetary health grappling with trust, democracy...
SensJus won the 'Falling Walls' Award in the category Science Engagement (Falling Walls Engage). The award recognises projects that promote scientific knowledge transfer, strengthen science communication, and include society into scientific processes. SensJus was judged as the best Science Engagement initiative among projects from all around the...