My research focuses on the core philosophical, ethical, and legal challenges of the global transformation towards sustainability. I specialize in bridging environmental ethics, decolonial and intercultural philosophy (e.g., Buen Vivir), and institutional governance to develop actionable frameworks for a Just Transition and the effective implementation of the Rights of Nature.
Dr. Stefan Knauß is a research group leader for socio-ecological transformation at the Just Transition Center (JTC) Martin-Luther University, Halle-Wittenberg and guest scientist at the School of Geography and the Environment (SOGE), University of Oxford and the Department of Conservation Biology & Social-Ecological Systems, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). He studied Political Science, Media and Communication Science in Halle, Catania and Parma and received his PhD in Philosophy 2015 from the University of Halle for the dissertation "From Conquista to Responsibility while Protecting - The Debate of Humanitarian Justified Warfare from a Latin American Perspective". He was Principal Investigator (PI) for the project "A physiocentric foundation of law - With the Latin American Buen Vivir on the way to a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Nature?" at the University of Erfurt and BIOdiversity GOvernance and VALUES (BioGoValues) @ German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv).