María de los Ángeles González Bustos is a researcher and is part of the Social Action Legal Clinic of the University of Salamanca. In this interview, he explains that he chose to study Law because he wanted his profession to help people and, in turn, to be linked to the continuous changes in society.
The expert carried out her thesis on public goods, and together with several colleagues they made the first code of legislation on climate change: from there her line of research arose and, in turn, the legal clinic of social action was launched, within which González Bustos coordinates the line of environment and responsible consumption: “We want them to see a theme that is not usually seen in the race. It is not a theoretical subject but rather a practical one, service-based learning: I see the problems and find the solutions ”, he tells us.
How do you do research in legal sciences?
The expert explains that the research work in her area obviously has nothing to do with research in experimental sciences: “It is more of a desk job, of analyzing laws, regulations, jurisprudence, but always in contact with reality because it is constantly changing. The pandemic, for example, has required laws and provisions that have made it possible to combat the situation with rules, it is one of the ways to fight the virus.
Something similar happens, he explains, with the environment: what does the law contribute to the fight against climate change? “In terms of environmental responsibility, there are standardized sanctions and a procedure so that if a company fails to comply, it can be sanctioned, things such as the energy efficiency of buildings are also regulated … these are rules that are regulated in administrative law. The reduction of plastics for example is in the regulations of the European Union, and later it will be reflected in our legal system: the law intervenes in all sectors related to the environment ”.
Science on the Street is a project carried out in collaboration with the Scientific Culture Unit of the University of Salamanca. Our goal is to get scientists out of the lab and into the outside world so they can tell us what they do. We will be with them in the bar, in the gym, in the pool … even in an airport!
