Breaking the law?
Expertise and the implementation of planetary boundaries in legal orders
In the face of ecological degradation on Earth, the concept of planetary boundaries, which originated in Earth sciences, offers an integrated approach to biogeophysical limits. This concept now also incorporates dimensions of justice and equity (Gupta et al. 2023). At the same time, environmental law and policy are adopting systemic and integrated approaches. This workshop, which is part of the CNRS IRP HABITABILITY project, aims to compare how institutional and normative actors integrate planetary boundaries into public policy and law in France, Germany, and Sweden, as well as in international institutions and case law. The objective of the workshop is to explore whether a process of legal standardisation exists for the criteria and conditions of a socio-ecological transformation that defines a ‘safe and just operating space’ (Röckstrom et al., 2023), also known as ‘Earth’s habitability’.
Day 1 – 24 September 2026
14:00-14 :45
Welcome by Laura Michel, Director of Mak’It
Introduction : IRP Project Scientific Board : Anne Dienelt, Vincent Gengnagel, Marion Lemoine-Schonne, Henrik Thoren, Camila Perruso
14:45-16:15 – Session 1
Setting the scene
Chaired by Marion Lemoine-Schonne, CNRS, IODE, Law
Earth System Justice, Joyeeta Gupta, University of Amsterdam, Political science
How is the concept already addressed in law? Louis Kotzé, Wageningen University and Research, Law
Situating the concept of planetary boundaries and systemic approaches, SDGs, among environmental discourses and politics, Vincent Gengnagel, University of Magdeburg, sociologist & Henrik Thorén, University of Lund, Philosophy
16:15-16:30 Coffee Break
16:30-18:00 – Session 2
Socio-environmental politics, what’s the place of PB’s concept?
Chaired by Christian Schmidt Wellenburg, RWTH Universität Aachen, Sociology
From Gaia’s habitability to the planetary boundaries of the Earth system: genealogy and position in the public debate, Sébastien Dutreuil, CNRS, Centre Gilles Gaston Granger, History and Philosophy of science
(Critical) Genesis of the concept, Sverker Sörlin, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Environmental history
The Contrasted Role of Mobilizations in Taking Charge of Territorial Transition: Towards a Just Habitability,Nathalie Blanc, CNRS, LADYSS Laboratoire Dynamiques Sociales et Recomposition des Espaces, Socio-geography
18:00-19:00 Cocktail and Exhibition EARTH HABITABILITY, in collab. with Alisa Singer Environmental Graphity ®
Day 2 – 25 Septembre 2026
9:00-10:30 Session 3
Case Studies I: Planning Law
Chaired by Claire Malwé, University of Rennes, Law
France, Empirical feedbacks on experiments of absolute environmental sustainability assessment at the scales of territories and companies
Natacha Gondran, Mines Saint-Etienne, Engineering and Geography
Germany, Cities: Between IPCC insights and policies on the ground
Jürgen Oßenbrügge, University of Hamburg, Economic geography
Participatory Approaches to Habitability Issues: A Look Back at a Workshop on Agroecological Transition ?
Timothée Fouqueray, ENS Rennes, Ecology-Geography -Law
10:30-11:00 Coffee break
11:00-12:30 Session 4
Case Studies II : Integrated Approaches and Planetary Boundaries Before the National Courts
Chaired by Charles Hubert Born, University of Louvain, Environmental Law
France, Magali Dreyfus, CNRS, Ceraps, Law
Germany, Andreas Buser, Freie Universität Berlin, Law
Sweden: Ida Edling and Esmeralda Sjögren, Legal and Scientific Coordinator, Aurora Case
12:30-14:15 Lunch
14:15-16:00 Session 5
Case Studies III : Integrated Approaches and Planetary Boundaries before the International Courts
chaired by Anne Dienelt, Saarland University, Law
ITLOS, Judge Ida Caracciolo
ICJ, Amanda Bills, Lund University, Law
Human rights jurisdictions:
ECtHR: Corina Heri, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Human rights and climate change
IACHR: Camila Perruso, University of Montpellier Paul-Valéry ART-Dev, Law, & Natalia Castro Niño, Staff Attorney, Inter-American Court of Human Rights, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Law
16:00-16:15 Wrap-up