Sophie de Lede receives award for innovative climate research!

Sophie de Lede receives award for innovative climate research!

On May 20, 2025, Sophie de Lede was awarded the OLB Science Prize at a ceremony. She received this honor for her outstanding scientific work, which was carried out at the Institute of Psychology at the University of Osnabrück in collaboration with the COALESCE laboratory at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Her research interests are both diverse and socially relevant, with a focus on relationships between individuals and groups, climate action and conspiracy beliefs. Sophie de Lede was supervised by Prof. Dr. Maarten van Zalk, a respected developmental psychologist at the University of Osnabrück. The Vice President for Studies and Teaching, Prof. Dr. Jochen Oltmer, recognized her efforts and praised her commitment to social issues.

This year's full slate of honorees includes a total of six outstanding papers, including three dissertations and three theses. The total prize money of 22,000 euros provides additional motivation among students to produce high-quality research papers. The OLB Science Prize has been awarded since 2000 and the winners are determined by an independent jury. Graduates from state-recognized universities in northwest Germany can apply for this prestigious award, provided their work is of high quality uni-osnabrueck.de reported.

Climate change and social responsibility

Climate change is a controversial issue that affects not only the scientific community, but also society as a whole. Although the scientific consensus is that climate change is caused almost entirely by human activity, there are still people who deny its existence or spread false information about it. Although few in Germany still deny climate change, there is a growing spread of climate disinformation in order to prevent or delay climate protection measures. There are numerous myths about climate change circulating on platforms like This leads to many people becoming misinformed, especially during times of extreme weather.

A survey shows that despite this disinformation, 91% of Germans demand more efforts in climate protection. It is also known that people who believe in conspiracy theories are often less willing to reduce their CO2 emissions. Poorer countries are particularly hard hit by the consequences of climate change, and socially disadvantaged groups in Germany are also suffering from the effects. This discrepancy illustrates how important it is to raise awareness of these topics in research and in society. Influential lobby groups, particularly the fossil fuel industry, play a central role in the spread of disinformation, which in many cases serves as an argument to delay climate action, explains tagesschau.de.

Myths and psychological factors

The challenges of combating climate change are not only scientific, but also psychological. Professor Dr. Roland Imhoff emphasizes that conspiracy theories often reflect a worldview that suspects secret plans behind the events. This tendency towards a conspiracy mentality correlates with a general distrust of scientific findings. The UN is already warning that misinformation about the climate emergency can hold back necessary measures to combat climate change. The reality of climate change requires collective action, supported by committed research – like that of Sophie de Lede.

Overall, it is clear that despite the large amount of evidence for climate change, there is still a need to educate and inform. This is the only way to make a decisive contribution to combating radicalization and the emergence of disinformation deutschlandfunkkultur.de emphasized. The publications of scientists who actively engage with climate and conspiracy theories are crucial for the formation of an informed public that wants to actively counteract climate change.