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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
