UU Talk show: Human rights in times of climate change
Second episode of Science and Society
On 10 December, 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From then on everyone had the right to equal treatment, education and safety, among other things. But the world of 1948 is not the world of today. Melting ice caps, floods and extreme weather caused by human activity were not yet on the agenda seventy-six years ago. So, to what extent does the theory of that time still fit today's practice?
In the second episode of the UU talk show Science and Society, three guests address the question of how climate change affects the meaning and importance of human rights:
- Marjan Minnesma, founder and director of Urgenda and former Alumnus of the Year.
- Jeroen Oomen, Associate Professor Futuring & Climate Politics at the Urban Futures Studio.
- Jos Philips, Associate Professor of political philosophy and ethics at the Ethics Institute.
A conversation about the interpretation of human rights, about the (un)desirability of transforming systems and agreements, about obligations and responsibilities, and about the forces that are released when government fails.
About Science and Society
As social challenges become more complex, they cannot be resolved from one single perspective. Science and Society is a talk show produced by Utrecht University in which academics come together with others (citizens, politicians, representatives of organisations, etc) to offer new perspectives on some of today’s most pressing issues.
Watch the first episode: