Sustainability in focus: Marburg Talks start with important impulses!

Sustainability in focus: Marburg Talks start with important impulses!

The third edition of the Marburg Sustainability Talks is imminent. It begins on April 22, 2025 and is organized by Green Office AG and the Physics Department at the University of Marburg. This series of lectures aims to actively shape change in the face of global crises. The topics range from our global food system to the mobility transition to civil society action, peace and security.

Organized by a dedicated student team from Green Office AG under the leadership of Dr. Lukas Wagner, every event offers space for exchange and discussions after the lectures. For the start, Prof. Dr. Sören Becker will speak, who will address the productive use of conflict to promote sustainable energy supply.

Diverse perspectives and international speakers

The series will feature international speakers from cities such as Oxford, Cape Town and Cairo. A special highlight is the screening of the documentary “Urgewald – On the Trail of Money”, which is followed by a film discussion. These 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 also be held in English in order to appeal to a broader target group.

At the end of the series there is a reflection on individual effectiveness and the contribution to the sustainable transformation that is so urgently needed today. In view of the complex challenges, exchange between different disciplines seems to be of central importance.

Interdisciplinary collaboration for sustainable transformation

The need for closer collaboration between researchers from socio-technical and social-ecological disciplines is also addressed in a recently published special issue entitled “Sustainability Transitions in Consumption-Production Systems”. This publication, published by the University of Manchester, the Institute for Ecological Economic Research (IÖW) and Harvard University, analyzes sustainable transformations in the areas of energy, mobility and food. William Clark, a professor at Harvard University, highlights the importance of designing sustainable development to promote human well-being without compromising future opportunities.

A total of 15 contributions shed light on the challenges and opportunities of sustainability processes. These are complex and cannot be reduced to technological or economic explanations. Rather, transformations require long-term changes in actors, institutions, technologies and resources in production and consumption systems. Innovations play an essential role and are shaped by social, political, economic and cultural developments.

These developments and discussions are crucial to mastering the complex challenges of our time and moving closer to the goal of a sustainable future.