Accessing the Future

Foreword (Prof. Dr. Manfred Liebel & Prof. Dr. Jörg Maywald) Introduction Literature Review Children's Rights related to a healthy environment Intersectional discrimination and environmental harm Conceptions of rights - as framework and living practice A framework for children's rights in environmental matters Access and participation rights Broadening the discourse: Rights as living rights Environmental activism and children's role: Reflections from literature and the public discourse Children's activism for the environment and their access to justice: Recent examples The conceptions of environmental ethics and environmental activists: Findings in literature Research and methodology Context of research and field access Limitations of research Ethical aspects of involving children in research Research questions Research methods Interview-design Data-analysis Results Category 1: Conceptions of rights Subcategory 1: Experience of the environment and environmental harm Subcategory 2: Entitlement and generativity Subcategory 3: Rights and formulations of justice as language for legitimation, as tool and as supportive framework Category 2: Conceptions on activism as practice of participation and access rights Subcategory 1: Activism as a result of a learning process, socialized through personal relationships and inspirations by others Subcategory 2: Conceptions on approaches to activism Subcategory 3: Activism as a personal benefit Subcategory 4: Activism as a personal and societal challenge Subcategory 5: A call to action for accountability, rule of law, participation and a change of consciousness Summary of findings Discussion The experience of the environment: From an anthropocentric to a biocentric vision Generativity and collectivity: Considering relations of injustice that reach beyond the present The need for a more inclusive vision of law and jurisdiction Conclusion References Abstract (Deutsch) About the author