Brendan Coolsaet is a Researcher at the Biodiversity Governance Unit (BIOGOV) of the Centre for Philosophy of Law (UCLouvain) and a Research Fellow with the Earth System Governance Project. His current research applies an environmental justice approach to the study of collective action in (agro)biodiversity governance, using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA). In parallel, Brendan developed an expertise in the field of genetic resources governance, in particular on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity. His research interests include environmental justice, social and institutional dimensions of international environmental governance, access and benefit-sharing (ABS), biodiversity policy, and the environment-development nexus.
He holds an MSc in Environmental Sciences and Policy (ULB) and a BSc in Computer Science (EhB). After his master-degree, Brendan was an intern at the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP), undertaking research on the EU's future environmental challenges. Brendan is also an Executive Boardmember at Switch, a Brussels-based non-profit working on social communication and active citizenship.
Book
Coolsaet B, Arianna Broggiato, Fulya Batur, John Pitseys, Tom Dedeurwaerdere (eds.) Implementing the Nagoya Protocol. Comparing Access and Benefit-sharing Regimes in Europe. Brill/Martinus Nijhoff Publishers (2015).
Peer-reviewed papers
Coolsaet B and Pitseys J (2015) Fair and Equitable Negotiations? African Influence in Creating the International Access and Benefit-sharing Regime. Global Environmental Politics 15(2).
Coolsaet B and Pitseys J (2014) Biodiversité et ressources génétiques: la Belgique et le Protocole de Nagoya. Courrier hebdomadaire du CRISP 2226 (21), 5-32.
Coolsaet B, Dedeurwaerdere T and Pitseys J (2013) The Challenges for Implementing the Nagoya Protocol in a Multi-Level Governance Context: Lessons from the Belgian Case. Resources 2(4)/2013, 555-580.
Coolsaet B (2011) Vers un partage équitable des avantages de la richesse génétique mondiale?, Dynamiques Internationales 4/2011, 1-22
Book chapters
Coolsaet B (2015). Comparing Access and Benefit-sharing in Europe. In Coolsaet et al. (eds.) Implementing the Nagoya Protocol. Comparing Access and Benefit-sharing Regimes in Europe. Brill/Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
Pitseys John, Brendan Coolsaet, Fulya Batur, Tom Dedeurwaerdere and Arianna Broggiato (2015) Genetic Resources in a Multi-layered Institutional Cake: The Regulation of Access and Benefit-sharing in Belgium. In Coolsaet et al. (eds.) Implementing the Nagoya Protocol. Comparing Access and Benefit-sharing Regimes in Europe. Brill/Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
Broggiato, Arianna, Tom Dedeurwaerdere, Fulya Batur and Brendan Coolsaet (2015) Access and Benefit-sharing & the Nagoya Protocol: The Confluence of Abiding Legal Doctrines. In Coolsaet et al. (eds.) Implementing the Nagoya Protocol. Comparing Access and Benefit-sharing Regimes in Europe. Brill/Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
Coolsaet B (2015) Justice environnementale internationale: Quelle procédure pour une participation juste et équitable? In Feltz, B., Frogneux, N., et Leyens, St. (eds.) 'La nature en éclats', Academia-Harmattan, Louvain-la-Neuve, Paris
Reports
Coolsaet B, Dedeurwaerdere T, Pitseys J, Fulya B (2013) Study for the implementation in Belgium of the Nagoya Protocol on ABS to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Final Report, Brussels, March 2013
Coolsaet B, Geeraerts K (2012). Country Report : Belgium. In IEEP, Ecologic and GHK (2012) Study to analyse legal and economic aspects of implementing the Nagoya Protocol on ABS in the European Union. Final report for the European Commission, DG Environment. Institute for European Environmental Policy, Brussels and London, April 2012
Withana S, Baldock D, Coolsaet B, Volkery A (2011). The future of EU environmental policy: challenges & opportunities. A special independent report commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Environment Group, 50 pages
Volkery A, Withana S, Coolsaet B (2011). Mapping the Landscape of EU Environmental Policy: Coherence and Linkages, Background paper for IEEP project on ‘Charting Europe’s environmental policy future’ ,2011, 32 pages
Communications
"Justice-relevant conditions to participation in biodiversity governance: an ex-ante approach to environmental justice". Royal Geographical Society Annual International Conference 2014, London, UK. August 2014
"Equitable pathways to effective Allocation in global biodiversity governance". 2014 Norwich Conference on Earth System Governance, Norwich, UK. July 2014
"The challenges for implementing the Nagoya Protocol in a multi-level governance context: lessons from the Belgian case" (with Tom Dedeurwaerdere and John Pitseys). International Conference on Policy Mixes in Environmental and Conservation Policies, Leipzig, Germany. February 2014
"Genetic resources, Intellectual Property Rights and Environmental Justice". Masterclass on Sustainable Development, Lokeren, Belgium. November 2013.
“Conditions for fair and equitable governance in international environmental governance” (with John Pitseys) Ecological Economics and Institutional Dynamics 10th biennal conference of the European Society for Ecological Economics (ESEE 2013), Lille, France. June 2013 (accepted paper).
“Justice environnementale et relations internationales. Quelle procédure pour une participation juste et équitable?” La justice environnementale. Enjeux philosophiques et politiques. Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. April 2013.
“Fair and equitable governance? Procedural justice in the negotiations on the Nagoya Protocol”. Earth System Governance Tokyo Conference, Tokyo, Japan. January 2013.
“The commodification of nature and the commons”. Etopia/Rencontres de l’Ecologie Politique : Rio+20: Overtaking options, engaging in transition, Brussels, Belgium. May 2012.
Popular Science
Coolsaet B and Broggiato A (2014) Protecting genetic resources-the future of the Nagoya Protocol. LexisNexis April 3, 2014
Coolsaet B (2013) De VN-klimaattop is enkel democratisch op papier. DeWereldMorgen, December 2, 2013.
Holemans S, Coolsaet B (2012) Green Economy gone toxic: time to get rid of it? Outreach Magazine 15 June 2012
Beys O, Coolsaet B, Holemans S (2012) Rio+20: van mislukking naar succes? MO*Magazine, June 2012
Coolsaet B (2012) Wordt Rio+20, Rio-20? DeWereldMorgen, 17 juni 2012
Coolsaet B (2011) Klimaatverandering als bron van internationale onveiligheid? Een onjuiste en gevaarlijke redenering. DeWereldMorgen, 21 July 2011
Coolsaet B (2011) Minst Ontwikkelde Landen: syndroom van een gefaald paradigma. DeWereldMorgen, 11 May 2012
Coolsaet, B. (2011) “Priorities of the upcoming Danish EU Presidency: An analysis”. European Intelligence Service (EIS), Institute for European Environmental Policy, 02/12/2011
Coolsaet, B. (2011) “From Rio to Rio: assessing 20 years of sustainable development”. European Intelligence Service (EIS), Institute for European Environmental Policy, 10/11/2011
Centre for Philosophy of Law (CPDR), Université catholique de Louvain
Collège Thomas More, Place Montesquieu 2 (Box 15) - (Office B-110)
B - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Phone: + 32 (0)10 474118
Fax : +32 (0)10 472403
Skype: bcoolsaet
Twitter: @bcoolsaet