CLS Summer School 2026 CLIMATE JUSTICE: ANCESTRAL FUTURE

Maybe the future isn’t something we invent.
Maybe it’s something we remember.

Everywhere you look today, people talk about how new technology will solve the climate crisis: electric cars, AI, large heat pumps, green hydrogen. Whether politicians believe in strong governments or free markets, they often agree on one thing: more innovation and more technology will fix the problem.

But there is a catch. All these “green” technologies require large amounts of materials such as lithium, cobalt, copper, and rare-earth metals. And these materials have to be mined somewhere. About 54% of energy transition mineral projects are located on or near Indigenous peoples’ lands - places with rivers, forests, and fishing areas that communities depend on. In some cases, landscapes are being turned into what activists call “sacrifice zones” - places that are damaged so that the rest of the world can live more “sustainably”. Elsewhere, companies make deals with non-Indigenous national governments to buy and protect commons from economic exploitation, while displacing local communities from their ancestral lands.

This raises some big questions. What exactly do we mean by sustainability? Are we solving the climate crisis, or just moving the damage somewhere else? Under what conditions can the deep sea and other international commons be legally exploited for minerals? Do Indigenous communities have legal title to their ancestral lands? If they believe they do, can they access justice? How, if at all, do they participate in climate negotiations?

The theme of this summer school is inspired by the work of the Indigenous thinker Ailton Krenak. He suggests that the main problem may not be a lack of better technology. Maybe the real problem is how we think about progress — the idea that we must always produce more, build more, and grow more. What if the solution to current ecological and social crises is not only about new technology, but also about learning different ways of living well on Earth — ancestral ways that have been preserved in some places, but largely forgotten?

Would you like to know detailed information about the theme and programme that is waiting for you during the ten days spent in the magical setting of the Giant Mountains?

Are you interested in who will lead you through the academic programme of the summer school? Please meet our lecturers.

Do you wonder where the summer school will be held? Well, it is going to be in the Patejdlova bouda chalet in the heart of the Giant Mountains.

In the mountains? But how can I get there? 

Do you have any questions regarding the summer school? Please do not hesitate to contact us using our e-mail address summer@society.cz or our contact form. Or you can have a look at frequently asked questions. 

Have you made your decision to apply for the summer school? That's great news! Please let us know about your interest using the application form.