Science Summit at United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78)

Objectives
This session aims to open a space for discussion to reflect on the multiple dimensions - economic, social, cultural, symbolic - encompassed by the concept of Climate Justice from a Latin American perspective. We will focus on different experiences, challenges, and opportunities that this concept presents to rethink the importance of cultural and epistemological diversity and the promotion of greater integration between science and traditional knowledge to move towards a more just and sustainable world.
Summary
The concept of Climate Justice serves as a catalyst for a set of demands and claims made by countries in the Global South, within the context of the historical responsibilities that the Global North holds in the current climate and environmental crisis. Climate justice entails multiple meanings linked to economic, social, cultural, and symbolic dimensions, often involving different interpretations depending on the different social sectors, whether they are scientific, political, indigenous communities, local communities, or society at large.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, discussions about climate justice revolve around ethical-political issues that are intertwined with discussions about social justice, extended participation, the self-determination of peoples to make decisions in their own territories, and the rights of Mother Earth.
In countries like Bolivia and Ecuador, the recognition of Mother Earth as a subject of rights has been constitutionally established, and legitimacy has been given to alternative worldviews to occidental development, such as Suma Qamaña and Sumaj Kawsay. In Argentina, Chile, and Peru, with varying nuances and particularities, efforts are being made to include indigenous communities in broader political discussions and even create legal frameworks that incorporate indigenous perspectives in political and scientific processes. However, these efforts maintain different levels of scope to achieve substancial transformations towards a transition to a more just and equitable world, both for humans and Mother Earth.
This landscape presents several challenges in terms of adapting institutional frameworks to effectively include the knowledge, wisdom, and practices of indigenous peoples as sources of alternatives and resistance to Western paradigms of development and progress. Likewise, the creation of alliances, collaborations, and connections between the sphere of politics, science, and communities still faces significant barriers to build legitimate dialogues that allows addressing the environmental crisis together.
The following session continues a debate that began at the Sustainability, Research and Innovation Congress, - SRI 2023 - held in June in Panama and aims to provide a space for discussion to reflect on the multiple facets - economic, social, cultural, symbolic - encompassed by the concept of Climate Justice from a Latin American perspective. We will focus on different experiences, challenges, and opportunities that this concept presents to rethink the importance of cultural and epistemological diversity and the promotion of greater integration between science and ancestral knowledge to move towards a more just and sustainable world.
 
Expected outcomes: 
 
The following session continues a debate that began at the Sustainability, Research and Innovation Congress- SRI 2023 - held in June in Panama and the session on Intercultural Dialogues for Science at SUNGA 77. The aim is to deepen the discussions and exchange knowledge and experiences among the speakers and the audience.
Rethinking the multiple implications of the concept of climate justice from a Latin American perspective.
Discussing the multiple challenges and opportunities that this concept presents in terms of cultural and epistemological diversity, through the presentation of different national and regional experiences.
Promoting greater integration between science and traditional knowledge to move towards a more just and sustainable world.