REEDS International Research  Centre based at the Rambouillet satellite of the Université de Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, France is participating in a major new European project to empower environmental justice organisations and improve collaborative research on environmental conflicts. This project is funded by the European Commission FP7 Science in Society programme over four years at a total cost of nearly four million euros and involves 23 members representing 20 countries throughout Europe, the African continent, Asia and South America.

REEDS (Research in Ecological economics, Eco-innovation and tool Development for Sustainability)has considerable expertise in economic and environmental valuation and sustainability indicators, eco-innovation strategies and corporate social responsibility, deliberation support in the public and private sectors as well as monitoring and information systems for socio-economic and environmental values. What this means is that REEDS can provide training materials, workshops,  and advice  relating to case studies of environmental injustice in an academically robust yet very practical way to other members of the project, in particular the Environmental Justice Organisations (EJOs).

EJOs are civil society organisations locally or globally involved in conflicts over resource extraction or waste disposal. Such conflicts are increasing in number as the world economy uses more materials and energy. A primary objective of this project is to empower EJOs and the communities they support that receive an unfair share of environmental burdens to defend or reclaim their rights.

REEDS will focus on the areas of Nuclear energy, Oil & gas extraction/Climate Justice, Environmental health & risk assessment, Liabilities and valuation and Training in best practices and policy recommendations.

REEDS is preparing training materials (particularly in multi-criteria evaluation), organising a workshop and online resource library for EJOs , contributing expertise on uranium mining in Africa and Europe, as well as nuclear waste issues and building on a general perception of risk to the environment and human health.

For further information please contact: Professor Martin O’Connor  Martin.O-Connor@reeds.uvsq.fr or Frances.Harrison@reeds.uvsq.fr or Virginia.Branco@reeds.uvsq.fr or Pierre.johnson@reeds.uvsq.fr