Marburg Sustainability Talks: Together for a better future!

Marburg Sustainability Talks: Together for a better future!

The third edition of the Marburg Sustainability Talks will start on April 22, 2025. This series of events, organized by Green Office AG and the Physics Department at the University of Marburg, aims to make an active contribution to shaping change in the face of global crises. The focus is on topics such as the global food system, the mobility transition, civil society action and peace and security. Each event is dedicated to a specific topic and includes a subsequent discussion session for participants.

The organizers, a dedicated student team from Green Office AG under the leadership of Dr. Lukas Wagner, have put together a varied program. The opening lecture will be given by Prof. Dr. Sören Becker, who will speak about the use of conflicts for a sustainable energy supply. International speakers from institutions in Oxford, Cape Town and Cairo will also take part in the events and contribute their perspectives.

Diverse topics and formats

A special highlight of the series will be the screening of the documentary “Urgewald – On the Trail of Money”, followed by a film discussion. The events take place on Tuesdays from 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in the large physics lecture hall, Renthof 5, and online via BigBlueButton. Some of the lectures will be held in English. The organizers have created a detailed program that is available to interested participants.

A current book on this topic is “Interdisciplinary Sustainability”, edited by Sigrid Müller and Piotr Jan Morciniec. This publication, which offers food for thought on the topic of sustainable development for sensitively dealing with life issues, covers the topic of sustainability beyond climate-neutral resources. Scholars from various disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, ethics and political science, discuss the contributions of their disciplines to the theory and practice of sustainability. The book will be published on December 4, 2023 and is part of the “Bioethics in Discussion” series of publications.

Sustainability in a global context

Sustainability means meeting the needs of the present without limiting the opportunities of future generations. This definition, adopted as a global guiding principle at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, expresses the three dimensions of sustainability: economically efficient, socially just and ecologically viable. Sustainable development should be the basis of all political decisions in order to preserve global resources in the long term, as also stated in Agenda 21.

By combining science, practice and public discourse, the Marburg Sustainability Talks aim to develop concrete approaches to implementing these principles and to raise awareness of sustainable development. The series of events therefore represents an important step in the right direction in order to be able to meet the challenges that our society is facing.

For more information about the Marburger Sustainability Talks, the book and the definition of sustainability, please visit the website University of Marburg, Books.de and BMZ.