UC Women in Science: Alexandra Aragão
Alexandra Aragão, professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra and researcher at the FDUC Institute for Legal Research, is the August guest of ‘UC Women in Science’.
At a time when environmental issues "did not have the relevance and strength they hold today," Alexandra Aragão decided to pursue this path. Faced with choosing to study sociology or law, she chose the latter at the University of Coimbra. After graduating, her "personal motivation" drew her to the field of environmental law. Today, Alexandra Aragão is a researcher at the Institute for Legal Research and a professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra (FDUC), working on several national and international projects.
She considers herself an "eco-lawyer" and strongly advocates for "nature restoration." Alexandra believes she can pass on her "passion for environmental issues, legal or otherwise, to younger generations" and admits to feeling proud when students approach her with environmental concerns. "It's inspiring, and that's why we work hard, but with great joy," she says.
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She believes "there are many challenges facing environmental law at the moment." For Alexandra Aragão, the world is at a "turning point", and as policies and laws are "going green," she argues that it is essential to have "people focusing on environmental law" across all sectors. "It's a topic that is growing tremendously," she adds.
Short Bio
Alexandra Aragão is a professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra and a researcher at the FDUC Institute for Legal Research. She coordinates the research group on ecological transitions, as well as projects on responsible legal research and innovation, legal indicators of the effectiveness of environmental law, and the radicalisation of climate activism.
She is a member of the European Natura 2000 Observatory, the European Water Observatory, the Advisory Board of the European Environmental Law Forum and a trustee of the European group of environmental law experts, Avosetta. She coordinates the interdisciplinary network on territorial justice "JUST-Side" and is the SDG 16 Ambassador for the UN Global Compact Network in Portugal.
Her main areas of research and publication are eco-literacy, eco-innovation law, nature conservation law, ecosystem services law, waste law, risk law, civil protection law, food safety law, and ecosystem services law.