Convened by Jameson Lingl, Tilburg University, International Institute for Social Studies at Erasmus University, and Sylvia Bergh, ISS, Erasmus University Rotterdam and The Hague University of Applied Sciences

This seed panel explores the processes through which ecological justice is pursued, resisted, or transformed in the face of global challenges and local realities. Ecological justice is often framed in terms of outcomes—restored ecosystems, fair compensation, or reduced emissions—but these outcomes are deeply shaped by how conflicts are negotiated, how power is exercised, and how participation is structured.

Inspired by interdisciplinary traditions that emphasize the how as much as the what, this panel invites early-stage empirical and conceptual contributions that interrogate how processes both enable and obstruct ecological justice. We especially welcome critical perspectives that highlight how procedural choices may distort, silence, or suppress justice claims, as well as those that open pathways toward them.

Possible topics include: the design of conflict (resolution) systems in disputes over water, power, or rare minerals; resource conflicts and the role of behavioral choices; civic engagement and the risks and opportunities of empowering local actors; legal innovations such as rights of nature; alternative dispute resolution, mediation, and restorative justice procedures; and collaborative governance arrangements addressing challenges ranging from data centers’ energy and water demands to fraud in carbon credit schemes. Contributions may also consider how multi-level dynamics—from UN Climate Change Conference preparations debates to grassroots mobilization—mediate (access to) justice, and how different types of justice (distributive, procedural, ecological) interact. 

By focusing on processes—legal, institutional, civic, and psychological—this panel emphasizes that ecological justice is not only an aspirational end-state but also the product of decisions, negotiations, and power struggles.. 

No full papers are required; the session will provide a collaborative space for testing and refining emerging ideas.

We explicitly invite practitioners as well as researchers to submit abstracts to learn from first-hand experiences with ecological justice claims and processes.