Jacopo Ciani (University of Turin – Faculty of Law), Ugo Pagallo (University of Turin, Department of Law), Massimo Durante (University of Turin, Department of Law), & Ludovica Paseri (University of Turin) have posted The Charge of Green Robots: From Environmental Robot Ethics to an Environmental Rule of Law for Robotics on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
Environmental robots-i.e. autonomous systems designed for ecological monitoring, conservation, and restoration-are increasingly crucial in addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. While offering benefits such as sustainable farming, waste reduction, and habitat protection, they also entail risks including resource use, ecological disruption, and accountability gaps. Current ethical frameworks and legal systems, particularly the EU’s, partially address these challenges, often overlooking robots’ environmental footprint and unintended harms. This paper argues for the integration of a new principle-the environmental rule of law-into robotics governance. Grounded in international and European legal traditions, this principle strengthens accountability and promotes eco-design as well as lifecycle responsibility by aligning robotics innovation with the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. The analysis concludes that adopting the environmental rule of law is both necessary and feasible to ensure that robotics supports ecological sustainability rather than undermining it.