Professor Luca Tateo at the Department of Special Needs Education, UiO has been appointed chair of the International Environmental Justice Committee of the Division 52 of American Psychological Association. The committee was created in November 2021 by the Division 52 board with the aim of seeing psychological challenges in connection with the environmental crisis and the consequences it will have for humankind.
The greatest challenge facing our society
‒ Environmental justice is fundamental in our society but is also particularly relevant for the most vulnerable people and is closely related to inclusion. People with special needs may be strongly affected by future changes in the environment and by the measures we will need to adopt to face environmental challenges, explains Tateo.
Environmental changes will affect all people, however some more than others as Tateo points out:
‒ Also, migrations will be related to environmental justice, forcing us to reimagine our way of thinking and including migrants. The main struggle for the future of mankind will be that for environmental justice and well-being.
Promoting international collaboration is key ambition
The task of the committee is to produce and collect information, events of discussion and proposals to have environmental and inequalities challenges as core interest of international psychology, concerning theoretical, professional, therapeutic, educational and ethical aspects of the human conduct in the ecosystem.
It will organize conferences, webinars and create opportunities for exchanging ideas and creating new networks for international interdisciplinary collaboration.