The Normative and Ethical Role of Languages in Sustainability Awareness Building, Dr Tomasz Braun
Dr Tomasz Braun
Associate Professor and Deputy Rector for International Relations
Lazarski University Warsaw
Poland
ORCID: 0000-0003-0141-4929
Type of Paper: Research
Received: 12 November 2025 / Revised: 5 December 2025 / Accepted: 17 December 2025 / Published: 30 December 2025
DOI: 10.47556/B.OUTLOOK2025.23.21
Purpose: This chapter explores how languages operate as normative and ethical infrastructures of sustainability awareness. It aims to demonstrate how linguistic diversity and multilingual practices underpin justice, inclusion, and resilience in sustainable development.
Design and Methodological Approach: The study adopts an interdisciplinary synthesis bridging environmental law and political theory of sustainability research. It relies on comparative legal analysis and policies’ reviews of multilingual education, biocultural approaches, diaspora engagement, and digital revitalisation.
Findings: Languages encode values, duties, and ecological knowledge, shaping sustainability behaviours. Mother tongue-based education enhances equity and intergenerational learning; Diasporas mobilise linguistic capital for climate adaptation; legal frameworks recognising linguistic rights strengthen governance.
Originality and Value: The paper reframes language as a site of justice, rather than just a communication tool, offering a normative-ethical framework for integrating linguistic diversity into sustainability policy.
Research Limitations/Implications: Regional variation and causal attribution remain challenges. Future research should develop indicators for linguistic inclusion, with direct implications for advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4, 10, 11, and 16.
Keywords: Sustainability Regulations; Ethical Norms; Sustainability Language; Awareness Building; SDGs; Sustainability Compliance.
Citation: Braun, T. (2025): The Normative and Ethical Role of Languages in Sustainability Awareness Building. In Ahmed, A. (Ed.): World Sustainable Development Outlook 2025: United Nations: What Next After 2030 Agenda and SDGs, Vol. 21, pp. 321-332. WASD: London, United Kingdom.
