USI Zonta Club Sustainability Award to Ludovico Giacomo Conti

Università della Svizzera italiana, through the Quality Assurance and Sustainability Service, promotes a competition for an award of CHF 2,000 for a Master's thesis, a PhD thesis, or a scientific article (published or forthcoming) on sustainability.

The award aims to stimulate interest and encourage commitment among USI's students and junior academic staff to engage with sustainability and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in all their dimensions. The prize is funded entirely by Zonta Club Locarno and Zonta Club Lugano.

Laudation for Ludovico Giacomo Conti
Professor Sonja Hildebrand
Pro-Rector for Sustainable Transformation and Equal Opportunities

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The article "Green after green: Identifying drivers of the current greenlash and how to safeguard SDGs in times of sustainability backlash" offers a compelling and timely analysis of the "greenlash" phenomenon. Ludovico Giacomo Conti demonstrates how resistance to climate policies hinders progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals. The research is distinguished by its analytical depth and its ability to go beyond mere problem identification to propose concrete solutions. The jury appreciated its rigorous and positive contribution to the field of sustainability.

Ludovico G. Conti has an academic background that interweaves philosophy, environmental sciences, and economics, driven by a strong passion for environmental ethics. After earning a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Philosophy with a minor in Economics and Business Communication from the University of Fribourg—which included an exchange year at KU Leuven in Belgium—Ludovico completed a Master of Science (MSc) in Environmental Sciences and Humanities, also at Fribourg.

His thesis, an ethical defence of rewilding, earned him the 2022 Ethics Prize from the University of Fribourg and the Prize in Theoretical Sciences from the Faculty of Science. He is currently a PhD student at Università della Svizzera italiana under the supervision of Prof. Peter Seele, where he is conducting an ethical exploration into the complex issue of biodiversity offsetting.