Last week, the 1st National Conference on Environmental Justice took place at the University of Aveiro — the first event of its kind in Portugal — bringing together researchers, students, technicians, policymakers and citizens from a wide range of fields and scientific backgrounds, from Environmental Sciences to the Social and Legal Sciences. The conference focused on a topic that is becoming increasingly central to public policy: how environmental impacts, particularly exposure to air pollution, are distributed unevenly across society.
The opening session, chaired by Alexandra Monteiro, researcher at CESAM/DAO, featured contributions from Amadeu Soares, Director of CESAM, and Ana Lillebø, CESAM member and Vice-Rector of the University of Aveiro, representing the Rector. The meeting also incorporated reflections developed within the scope of the ALICE project (environmental justice in exposure to air pollution), but its main emphasis was on interdisciplinary debate and dialogue across different fields of knowledge. CESAM members participated in both the Scientific and Organising Committees, and the conference was chaired by Alexandra Monteiro.
Throughout several panels and discussion sessions, it became clear that environmental justice goes far beyond climate justice, even though the latter has dominated much of the public discourse in recent years. Concrete case studies were presented, including examples of territorial conflicts and multiple “PINs” (“Projects of Notorious Nuisance”), showing that although the word most frequently repeated was “justice”, what emerged from the presentations were, above all, situations of injustice: more vulnerable communities exposed to higher environmental risks, with less access to information and limited capacity to participate in decision-making processes.
Among the key ideas highlighted during the conference was the notion that the so-called energy transition may, in many contexts, represent more of an energy expansion than a genuine change in model. Several speakers stressed that it is not enough to consider the transition solely in terms of carbon neutrality; territorial, social and public health impacts must also be taken into account. It was also noted that prevention costs tend to be lower than remediation costs, an argument emphasised in different sessions.
Public perception in Portugal was also discussed: while the population demonstrates a high level of environmental concern, it remains poorly informed and shows limited effective participation. In this context, the importance of locally grounded environmental education (at the neighbourhood and community level) was highlighted as a way to mobilise concrete action. Another recurring theme was the need for greater innovation in the legal framework, with speakers advocating the urgency of developing “legal imagination” to respond to new and emerging challenges.
The meeting further showed that among the three classical dimensions of justice — distributive, procedural and recognition justice — the first is the one with some consolidated work, while significant gaps remain in the others. International examples, such as Bristol, were presented as inspiring references for integrated urban policies.
According to Amadeu Soares, Director of CESAM, “the multi-, pluri- and transdisciplinary character of this conference faithfully reflects the CESAM community and its activities, as well as the way the centre seeks to connect its research to address complex and current challenges, such as environmental justice.”
More than providing definitive answers, the conference above all produced a shared diagnosis: the problem is complex and cannot be addressed by a single discipline. Technical understanding of environmental risks, social analysis of behaviours, and the development of appropriate legal solutions require cooperation across different fields. The main outcome of the meeting was therefore the creation of a common language among diverse areas of knowledge — an essential step for future initiatives and for the continuation of this scientific and social dialogue. The closing session featured an intervention by Fátima Alves, Deputy Director of CESAM and Director of DAO and IDAD, who emphasised precisely the need for continuity and further deepening of this joint work.