RE4GREEN was pleased to participate in the Inari Symposium on Research Ethics in Nature, Environment and Indigenous Research (InRENEI2026), which took place on 10–11 June 2026 at the Sámi Cultural Centre Sajos in Inari, Finland.
Organised by the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity (TENK) in collaboration with the Sámi Parliament, the University of Lapland and the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), the symposium brought together researchers, ethics experts and members of research ethics committees to discuss ethical principles and ethical review in research on nature, the environment and Indigenous peoples. Hosted in the heart of the Sámi homeland, the event highlighted the close relationship between Indigenous cultures and the environment while promoting dialogue on responsible and ethical research practices.
On the second day of the symposium (11 June), our colleagues Jan Mehlich (Center for Life Ethics, University of Bonn) and Fabian Fischbach (German Reference Center for Ethics in the Life Sciences, University of Bonn) facilitated the interactive workshop Indigenous Knowledges for Sustainability: Tackling Epistemic Injustice in Research, Innovation, and Policy.
Together with participants from diverse disciplinary and professional backgrounds, the workshop explored how Indigenous and local knowledge systems continue to face structural and attitudinal barriers to meaningful participation in research, innovation, environmental governance and related ethical discourses. Through interactive group discussions, participants shared experiences, reflected on power imbalances in knowledge production, and exchanged ideas on fostering more inclusive, participatory and collaborative approaches.
The discussions were informed by insights from the RE4GREEN project, which has identified epistemic injustice as one of the major ethical challenges in addressing complex sustainability issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Participants emphasised that responding to these global challenges is not solely a scientific or technological endeavour. It also requires recognising diverse knowledge systems, addressing inequalities in whose knowledge is valued, and ensuring that Indigenous and local perspectives are meaningfully included in research, innovation and policy-making.
The workshop reaffirmed RE4GREEN’s commitment to integrating environmental and climate ethics into research and innovation while promoting gender-sensitive, intercultural and Indigenous perspectives as essential elements of responsible research and innovation. These discussions contribute directly to the project’s broader mission of supporting a fair, inclusive and ethically grounded Green Transition.
We would like to sincerely thank everyone who participated in the workshop and generously shared their experiences and perspectives. The engaging discussions reinforced the importance of embedding epistemic justice within both research ethics and environmental ethics, demonstrating that more inclusive knowledge practices are fundamental to building sustainable futures.
