By Chetana Rukshani Karunatilaka PhD Candidate at the Bristol Law School, UWE
On 27 March 2024, the Environmental Law and Sustainability Research Group (ELSRG) hosted an event under the theme of ‘Sustainability at the Core of Postgraduate Research at UWE’. The event aimed to discuss how the concept of sustainability is embedded into the doctoral research conducted by the PhD researchers at UWE. The event consisted of two sessions, with a total of five talks covering various issues related to sustainability. Three of the postgraduate researchers represented the College of Business and Law (CBL) while two were from the College of Arts, Technology and Environment (CATE).
Session one
During session one, chaired by Prof. Svetlana Cicimil, two doctoral students from CATE presented their doctoral work and its relationship with sustainability.
The first presenter, Omar Abdelwahab, a third-year PhD researcher affiliated with the Sustainable Economies Research Group, explored the role of ethics and values within the environmental consultancy sector. Omar thoroughly examined the relationship between values, ethics, and environmental consultancy, explaining how his research studied the place of values and ethics within environmental consultancy, consultants and professional bodies, intending to achieve long-term sustainable objectives.
The second speaker of the session, Faten Hatem is a PhD researcher who is currently in her second year of studies. She is affiliated with the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environment. Faten discussed the integration of collaborative intelligence into place-based engagement methods as part of a long-term approach to smart city development that focuses on sustainability. She provided valuable insights into the use of novel creative methods and data that can be useful in developing a sustainable approach to smart city development. Faten analysed the roles and needs of various smart city stakeholders and highlighted the importance of engaging vulnerable groups, including the disabled, working class, youth, and elderly, in discussions on air pollution and climate change. She emphasized the need for innovative methods that can bring about a change in attitude and behaviour through activation, given the trend of setting goals such as net-zero, climate-natural, and low carbon.
After the presentation, the audience was allowed to discuss and comment on the topic. Prof. Svetlana Cicimil, who was the chair of the session, led this discussion. Several participants and the Chair raised questions, and both the presenters were able to provide answers to clarify these sustainability concepts within their research scope. It stimulated a thought-provoking discussion among the academic and professional community who attended the event.
Before the commencement of session two, Dr. Bernard Gross, Director of the Doctoral Academy at UWE, addressed the gathering. He explained ‘sustainability’ as a concept and how the Doctoral Academy assists postgraduate researchers to conduct doctoral research sustainably.
Session two
Dr. Onita Das chaired the second session of the event and three Doctoral students from CBL talked about the nexus between their doctoral research and the concept of sustainability. Sachini Welandawe, who is a second-year PhD student, is a member of the Governance and Accountability Research Group. She delivered a presentation about the impact of sustainable investment on the stock performance of firms in the UK: ESG performance and risk. She explained how environmental and social governance has become a significant consideration in the investment decision-making process. She explained that there is an urgent need to conduct in-depth research on the implication of ESG considerations on the financial performance of firms.
The second speaker of the session, Cristian Heredia Ligorria, is a first-year doctoral student at Bristol Law School and is also a member of the ELSRG. Cristian explored the role of the Inter-American Court on Human Rights (IACHR) with special reference to sustainability and climate justice in Latin America and the Caribbean. The presentation delved into the pivotal role of the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in advancing climate justice within the region. His talk shed light on the potential of climate litigation to protect vital ecosystems for climate stability and sustainability while promoting social and economic development.
The final speaker for the day was Elena Ramirez Gonzalez. She is a first-year PhD student who is attached to the Bristol Leadership and Change Centre at UWE. Elena focused on the interesting concept of mutual nurturing among humans and non-humans, how this fundamental practice is employed to build leadership in the Andes and how it is employed to respond to climate change. She elaborated on how non-human earth beings play a vital role in the lives of the Quechua community Fortaleza Sacsayhuaman in Cusco, Peru. The concept of mutual nurturing refers to a reciprocal correlation that humans have created and reinforced with the non-human and sustainable environment over time. She described it as a conversation process with natural beings. She further explored how this concept creates a significant impact on practising leadership within everyday life and when facing external conflicts such as environmental or social crisis.
As the second session came to an end, Dr. Onita Das opened the floor for comments and questions. The audience provided proactive feedback on the presentations made during the second session of the event, which led to interesting discussions. The participants provided feedback on the presentations paving the way to improve the doctoral research of the presenters.
This successful PGR event on sustainability was well-attended by undergraduate and postgraduate students, alumni, academics and NGOs.