The funding call Ecological Compensations in Society and Culture

The aim of the funding call is to focus on ecological compensations using methods from different disciplines and fields of art. Human actions often have directly harmful effects on the habitats of other species and the biodiversity of nature, although humankind is entirely dependent on functioning ecosystems. National GDPs remain strongly tied to the exploitation of natural resources. One possibility of stopping harmful impacts on the environment consists of ecological compensations: destroying or harming a habitat is compensated by restoring similar habitats elsewhere.

In the funding call we encourage you to find solutions to questions like the following: How can our societies accept economic costs in order to stop the degradation of the environment? How can ecological and economical thinking collaborate in compensations? Do we understand all the ecological aspects of compensation? Does the political rhetoric correspond to the ecological requirements and facts? How is nature discussed in political rhetoric, or in scientific or literary publications? Do accurate descriptions of the bad conditions of habitats inspire positive activism or despair? Can ecocritical approaches lead to a sharp analysis of the subject and make people think?

The foundation encourages multidisciplinary projects with researchers from different fields, artists, journalists, activists, as well as people from companies and other actors. In the projects we can fund both academic research and producing knowledge and experiments to the wider society. The funding can be multiannual.

Submit your applications during the Kone Foundation annual funding call, which ends on 15 September. Use the online application service between 1 and 15 September.

The seminar on Ecological compensations organized on 9–10 June will serve as a background for the funding call.

For more information, contact Kalle Korhonen, head of research funding.