Presentation “Footprint Justice” by Paolo Cirio

Artist Paolo Cirio will present his new project Footprint Justice for the Lethica Institute of Strasbourg University.

During his residency, Cirio launched a campaign to address the ethics of climate change, aiming to make them accessible to everyone. His new campaign, Footprint Justice, advocates for free public transportation funded by taxing major fossil fuel firms. As an artistic provocation, the campaign is promoted on trams, buses, and trains with flyers, in the streets with posters, and on social media with videos. Employing subtle irony, the project seeks to popularize the ethics behind the concept of the Carbon Footprint, highlighting the accountability of major fossil fuel companies like Total Energy and critiquing weak European climate policies. Ultimately, Cirio designed a petition in the form of postcards mailed to the European Commission, advocating for a more equitable Carbon Tax across Europe and for subsidizing public transportation over fossil fuels. For this initiative, Cirio collaborated with climate activist groups in France.

During the presentation, Paolo Cirio will introduce his new project and his research on the concepts of Climate Justice and the Carbon Tax. Additionally, Cirio will showcase his extensive work on climate change, including a series of fine art pieces, activist campaigns, and exhibitions. Parallel to this project, Cirio has also authored a new book, which represents the culmination of years of research into the ethics and aesthetics of climate change. Titled Climate Tribunal, the book specifically addresses the accountability of the fossil fuel industry, integrating philosophical, historical, political-economic, and legal perspectives.

The project Footprint Justice is commissioned by the Lethica Institute of the Strasbourg University. Paolo Cirio has been an artist in residency at the Lethica Institute and lecturer with his course “Ethics of Climate Aesthetics” in the academic year 2023-2024.

Website

Footprint-Justice.com

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 Climate Tribunal (pdf) or buy it online