Meet PLOS Climate Academic Editor Laura García-Portela

We are delighted to introduce Laura García Portela (Erasmus University of Rotterdam) as an Academic Editor in PLOS Climate‘s Philosophy and Ethics section.

Could you tell us about your research background and your current work?

My research focuses broadly on questions of justice in the context of climate change. A central part of my work has been on the issue of loss and damage: the justice implications of the climate impacts that are already happening, particularly for current generations. A lot of the discussion on climate justice has traditionally focused on responsibilities towards future generations — for example, how we should limit climate change to avoid harming people in the future. My research has aimed to shift some of that attention towards the present, by asking what justice requires when people are already experiencing the negative consequences of climate change. More specifically, I have looked at questions such as: which climate impacts should count as losses and damages that raise justice concerns, how climate science can help us identify and understand those impacts, and who should bear the responsibilities for addressing them. Another important part of my research concerns the philosophy of climate science and the relationship between scientific knowledge, values, and policymaking. I am interested in the fact that climate science does not exist in isolation from society. Scientific practices shape how we understand climate change, which in turn influences political and moral debates. For example, I have collaborated with atmospheric scientists to examine the justice implications of climate attribution studies — research that investigates how much a particular extreme weather event was influenced by climate change. I have also worked on questions around the presence of non-epistemic values in climate science — for example, social, ethical, or political considerations that can influence scientific choices — and whether this affects the legitimacy of climate policies that rely on scientific knowledge.

Currently, my research focuses on the normative dimensions of climate litigation and the role of courts in responding to climate change. Climate litigation has become an increasingly important way of addressing climate change, but it raises a number of philosophical and political questions. I am interested in how courts can contribute to particular understandings of climate justice and how legal decisions shape ideas about responsibility, fairness, and obligations in the climate context. In my earlier work in this area, I collaborated with legal scholars and practitioners to understand how courts can contribute to normative debates about climate justice. I am now expanding this research in two directions. At the political level, I am examining questions about the legitimacy of judicial intervention in climate policy — in other words, when and under what conditions it is appropriate for courts to review or influence decisions that are usually made through democratic political processes. I am also interested in issues of procedural and substantive fairness in climate litigation. At the ethical level, I am exploring the responsibilities of legal practitioners involved in climate cases: what ethical considerations should guide climate legal action, and what conditions are necessary for lawyers and other actors to engage responsibly in this field?

Why did you decide to join PLOS Climate’s editorial board?

I was motivated by the opportunity to help shape the conversation around climate change research in a way that brings in perspectives that have sometimes been underrepresented. In many climate discussions, philosophical and ethical questions are present implicitly, but philosophers have not always been central participants in the conversation. As an editor, I would like to contribute to creating space for more interdisciplinary work that is not only scientifically rigorous but also philosophically informed. I am particularly interested in encouraging research that engages with the assumptions, values, and implications behind climate knowledge and climate action. For me, PLOS Climate is an exciting place to support this kind of work because addressing climate change requires collaboration across disciplines, and philosophical perspectives can help make those connections more explicit.

Are there any particular aspects of PLOS Climate’s mission that resonate with you?

Several aspects of PLOS Climate’s mission strongly resonate with me. First, the commitment to expanding the journal’s portfolio to include more philosophical and ethical work is particularly meaningful to me. Climate change is often approached through the lens of natural sciences, technology, or policy, but many of the central challenges are also fundamentally normative: questions about justice, responsibility, fairness, values, and the legitimacy of different responses to climate change. These questions require philosophical engagement, not as an addition to scientific research, but as an integral part of understanding and addressing climate change. A journal that actively creates space for philosophical perspectives can help foster conversations that are necessary for addressing the complexity of climate change.

Secondly, I appreciate the emphasis on Open Science and global inclusivity. Climate research has implications for communities around the world, and ensuring that knowledge is accessible, transparent, and informed by diverse perspectives is crucial — particularly when addressing questions of climate justice and unequal experiences of climate impacts. I myself have published all my paper Open Access and remain committed to do so. 

What kinds of submissions would you particularly like to see?

I would like to see more interdisciplinary contributions that do not treat ethical and philosophical questions as an afterthought, but as integral parts of climate research from the beginning. Of course, that requires ‘recruiting’ philosophers for this job, and I am committed to encouraging my colleagues to submit their interdisciplinary work to PLOS Climate. 

Ready to submit your work to PLOS Climate? Follow our step-by-step guide to the submission process.