Sacred Norms and Global Storms: Religion and the International Politics of Climate Change
Religion is often overlooked in analyses of international climate politics, yet it can play a significant role in shaping norms, values, and political engagement. This lecture explores the intersection of religion and climate governance, examining how religious actors contribute to climate discourse and policy-making at the international level. Based on fieldwork at the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC), it explores how religious worldviews inform ethical perspectives on climate justice, responsibility, and care for creation, and how these perspectives influence institutional frameworks and negotiations. It argues that there are tensions and synergies between secular and religious approaches to climate action, which also inform the potential of interfaith collaboration to support inclusive and transformative climate policies. By foregrounding religion as a normative force, the lecture invites reflection on how diverse worldviews can enrich global responses to the climate crisis.
Katharina Glaab | Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU)
Cycle of Seminars: Conservation and Transformation in Ethics and Religion
Scientific coordination: Massimo Leone, FBK-ISR
The event will be held ONLINE in English.
Registration by November 7, 2025 at 12:00 a.m. is required in order to arrange the connection.
Guest Speakers
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Katharina Glaab - Guest SpeakerUniversità Norvegese di Scienze della Vita (NMBU)Katharina Glaab is Associate Professor at the Department for International Environment and Development Studies at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). She worked at the Cluster 'Religion and Politics' at the University of Münster and held visiting fellowship positions at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Tsinghua University, Norwegian Institute for International Affairs (NUPI) and Fridtjof Nansen Institute (FNI). She specializes in global environmental politics and the role of norms in international governance.
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Registration to this event is mandatory.
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Organizers
The initiative was also realized thanks to the contribution of "Direzione generale Educazione, ricerca e istituti culturali" of the Ministry of Culture.