Heidelberg Center for the Environment “Heidelberg Bridge” Colloquium: Embedding Sustainability in the University and Society
Press Release No. 34/2024
15 April 2024
Heidelberg Center for the Environment hosts public lecture series
The sociological dimensions of climate change and the route towards a sustainable society are the theme of the “Heidelberg Bridge” colloquium in the 2024 summer semester. The Heidelberg Center for the Environment (HCE), Heidelberg University’s environmental research incubator, is hosting it under the heading “Catalyzing the Sustainability Transformation”. The curtain-raiser on 19 April 2024 is a panel discussion on how the university can be designed as a sustainable place of work, learning and research. Prof. Dr Karin Schumacher will also take part as Vice-Rector for Quality Development and Sustainability at Ruperto Carola. The total of four English-speaking events, with experts from research, administration and education policy, can be attended both online and in person.
The topic of sustainability will take centre stage at the summer semester “Heidelberg Bridge” colloquium. The first event will be a discussion on “Sustainability at Heidelberg University” with Prof. Schumacher, Prof. Dr Thomas Rausch, Managing Director of the Heidelberg Center for the Environment, and HCE Executive Manager Dr Max Jungmann. Other participants in the panel will be Irina Merz, Sustainability Manager at the HCE, and Narasimha Sushil, Climate Protection Manager in the Division of Planning, Construction and Safety at Ruperto Carola. They will explore the question of which measures have been taken so far and what changes are still necessary.
The “Heidelberg Bridge” will continue on 3 May with a lecture by Prof. Dr Marc-Philippe Weller, legal scholar at Heidelberg University. Under the heading “Climate Litigation – A Global Phenomenon”, he will describe court cases in connection with climate change. On 29 May, Romain Boitard from the European Training Foundation will talk about a sustainable world of work and the abilities needed for that in future. “What are Green Jobs and Green Skills?” is the title of his presentation. To conclude the colloquium on 12 July, Prof. Dr Susanne Mantel from the Department of Philosophy of Ruperto Carola will take up ethical aspects of climate change under the heading “Climate Change and Ethics”.
The Heidelberg Center for the Environment links up the existing competences in environmental sciences at Heidelberg University and initiates new research projects. Across subject and disciplinary boundaries, members of the HCE concern themselves with the existential challenges deriving from changes in nature, technology and society. The aim is to address the ecological effects through science. The Sustainability Think Tank is also located in the HCE. Its five working groups are tasked with developing a comprehensive sustainability strategy for Heidelberg University in a participatory process.
The in-person events will take place in the lecture hall of the Marsilius-Kolleg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.1, starting each time at 12.30 pm. Anyone wishing to avail themselves of the live streaming will have to register on the website of the “Heidelberg Bridge” colloquium. Recordings will be accessible at a later date on heiONLINE, the central portal of Heidelberg University providing keynotes, panels and events in digital formats.