In spring 2025 the international project office of the Earth System Governance network transitioned from Utrecht to Uppsala University. The Earth System Governance Project (ESGP) is a global, interdisciplinary research network advancing knowledge at the interface between global environmental change and governance. It connects scholars worldwide from social sciences and humanities to explore innovative political solutions and effective strategies.
The ESG project was founded in 2008 and unites today more than 600 researchers. The network brings together its members in different ways. Taskforces and working group provide opportunities to collaborate on pressing issues related to climate change biodiversity loss and global governance of these questions. The South-South Initiative within the network seeks to strengthen the ESG network in the global South. Activities for Early career researchers, such as meetings organized by the Early Career committee and a mentorship program also open opportunities specifically for young researcher globally. The ESG community gathers once per year at its annual conference, which is planned to be held in Uppsala in the coming years. The monthly newsletter keeps the ESG community members informed about both internal activities in the network and external opportunities among the network members and newly published literature.
The networks international project office (IPO) organizes or co-organizes network activities and is a crucial part of the ESGP. The IPO transitions between universities every five years. In an earlier phase it had been based at Lund University before moving to Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The next transition happened earlier this year after CCL successfully attracted funding for the project office from Zennström Philanthropies and Uppsala University’s UUnicorn initiative. This funding has allowed to create two full time positions, for a project coordinator (Hang Nguyen) and a research assistant (Karin Thalberg), that have been running the daily tasks of the network since May 2025. The operations of the international project office are led by Mikael Karlsson, head of CCL, and complemented by Judith Lundberg-Felten, project coordinator at CCL. The transition of the IPO was further facilitated by the presence of ESGP founder Frank Biermann, and Scientific Steering Committee member Aarti Gupta as Zennström professors at Uppsala University during spring 2025.
In a recent interview, Mikael Karlsson expressed that the presence of the network at Uppsala University can provide opportunities for researchers locally to engage in international collaborations and attract funding in such constellations.
We encourage researchers with an interest in ESG topics to apply to become a research fellow within the ESGP and contribute to and benefit from this vibrant global research community.
The Climate Change Leadership group at Uppsala University will host the Nordic Environmental Social Science Conference in 2026. The conference will take place take place from June 9-11 2026 at Uppsala University.
The NESS conference has a long history of over 30 years of bi-annual gatherings of researchers within the broad field of social science and humanities approaches to environmental studies among the Nordic countries and beyond. The conference brings together scholars across research fields for meeting and discussing interdisciplinary knowledge co-production and co-creation for sustainability. It include a range of plenary sessions, but are particularly characterised by a stream of parallel workshops, focused on in-depth discussions of draft scientific articles.
The conference theme for NESS2026 is “Bridging the Gaps” and will, for example, offer discussions around the following questions
How can gaps between environmental goals and implementation be bridged in policy and practice?
How can scientific knowledge be more effectively integrated into policymaking, and how can policy needs better inform research?
What characterises fruitful interdisciplinarity and transdisciplinarity – including co-production of knowledge – in science and policy, and how can it be advanced?
How can gaps between science and society – and scientists and practitioners – be overcome?
How can significant divides among different environmental disciplines be bridged?
A call for workshop proposals closed on 7 September 2025 and resulted in nearly 70 submitted proposals. The CCL team is delighted to see that this opportunity is so well received. The scientific committee will now screen and select proposals, for which later this fall a call for abstracts for participants will open.
On August 29th 2025, CCL researcher Daniel Lindvall held his Docent lecture “Democracy in the Age of Climate Crisis” at the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University.
Based on his research and his recent book, Climate Change and the Endurance of Democracy, he discussed how disasters and extreme weather events have historically affected human reasoning and agency and how the climate crisis may influence democratic development in the future. He demonstrated how these effects can contribute to democratic backsliding but also create new conditions for social mobilization and democratic vitalisation.
Congratulations, Daniel, for an interesting and pedagogically presented lecture on this highly important subject.
Daniel Lindvall at Hambergsalen during his docent lecture
Sänkta energiskatter på bensin och diesel är inte bara dålig klimatpolitik – det är också dåligt för ekonomin. Det visar en studie som CCL forskarna Jens Ergon och Mikael Karlsson, tillsammans med kollegor på KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Corvinus University of Budapest, Cambridge Econometrics och The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies har nyligen publicerat i tidskriften Climate Policy.
Before their departure from Uppsala University, upon completion of their stay as Zennström guest professors in the end of July 2025, Aarti Gupta and Frank Biermann were interviewed by the UUnicorn initiative. The interview highlights their research, the involvement in the Earth System Governance network and their continued collaboration with Uppsala University even beyond their Zennström visiting professorships. Please read the interview here.
On 7 April 2025, the Zennström visiting professors in Climate Change Leadership, Aarti Gupta and Frank Biermann, delivered their inaugural lecture at Geocentrum, Uppsala University. The event, titled Science and Governance for the Planet, was opened by Vice-Chancellor Anders Hagfeldt and followed by a panel discussion on The Triple Planetary Crisis in Science and Policy. It brought together scholars and students eager to engage with urgent questions at the intersection of climate science and global governance.
Uppsala University’s vice-chancellor Anders Hagfeldt welcomes the audience. Photo: Frida Öhman
Planetary crisis in the time of Trump
“If you talk about planetary politics, you have to talk about climate change.”
Frank Biermann, Professor of Global Sustainability Governance at Utrecht University and founder of the Earth System Governance Project, reflected on the state of planetary governance in an increasingly fractured world. He spoke about the theme of the Planetary crisis in the time of Trump, focusing on the impact of disengagement of the United States from international climate cooperation. According to Biermann, we are witnessing the end of what he described as “the long 1990s”—a period marked by optimism, global cooperation, and a belief in the progressive realization of a universal order. That era, he argued, is rapidly giving way to one of fragmentation, as the United States retreats from its commitments to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and possibly even the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Frank Biermann holding his lecture “Planetary Politics in the Age of Trump”. Photos: Frida Öhman
In this changing geopolitical landscape, Biermann posed difficult questions about how the international community might continue to work toward sustainable development in the absence of willing superpowers. He suggested that new institutional architectures may be necessary that can operate with or without U.S. participation. He explored the possibilities of creating a layered UN and setting up institutions without the US and other similar countries, such as a Planetary Protection Council or a UN Sustainable Development Council.
He also raised the critical issue of funding. With the largest contributor to international development work stepping back, how can climate initiatives be financed? One proposal he explored was the introduction of a global aviation tax, perhaps designed to be progressive by targeting frequent flyers.
Beyond institutional design and finance, Biermann highlighted the problem of planetary justice. The climate crisis, he emphasized, is not an issue caused by humanity as a whole, but rather by a small proportion of the global population, the wealthiest ten percent. Addressing climate change, therefore, also means confronting entrenched inequalities. He concluded his talk by underlining the need to democratize global governance systems in an age when many governments are growing more authoritarian.
While in Uppsala, Biermann expressed his wish to contribute to the development of research networks that will endure beyond his professorship. He also plans to begin work on a publication that explores the politics of planetary governance in the era of Trump. In addition, he hopes to support and strengthen the Earth System Governance Project, which is a global network of hundreds of scholars that now has its International Project Office hosted at Uppsala University.
The climate crisis and scholar activism
The second part of the lecture was delivered by Aarti Gupta, Professor of Global Environmental Governance at Wageningen University. She spoke about The Climate Crisis and Scholar Activism: The Necessity and the Challenges. She began by posing a series of urgent and provocative questions: What role should researchers play in today’s world? What responsibilities do scientists have in their engagement with society? And what can society rightfully expect from the scientific community?
Aarti Gupta during her lecture “The Climate Crisis and Scholar Activism: The Necessity and the Challenges.” Photos: Frida Öhman
Gupta argued that the time when researchers could remain in the ivory tower has passed. We are entering an era in which the boundaries between science and society are shifting, and scientists are increasingly expected to engage with public discourse, policy debates, and contested technologies. This shift, however, comes with its own set of dilemmas. What is the correct way to engage? How should scientists act when the science itself is uncertain or contested? What happens when scientists disagree on the best course of action?
These questions are particularly acute in the context of emerging technologies such as solar geoengineering. This is a technique that involves injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to reflect sunlight and reduce global temperatures. Gupta’s research focuses, among many other issues, on this highly controversial area and the ecological and geopolitical risks associated with the technology. In her view, this is a critical moment to engage with such issues. Once implementation begins, the space for deliberation may quickly disappear.
“Once a technology is developed, it will be deployed. History teaches us that.”
In response to the challenges posed by solar geoengineering, a platform of researchers has been formed, and an open letter has now been signed by over 540 scientists from 67 countries, calling for an International Non-Use Agreement on solar geoengineering. This initiative has aimed to reframe media narratives, influence policy arenas, and advocate for more ethically grounded and precautionary approaches.
Gupta also spoke about the personal and professional challenges that come with scholar activism. Engaging publicly in controversial issues can raise questions about credibility and polarization. The strain on time and resources is another issue. Yet she insisted that neutrality is not always an option. “We cannot afford to be pessimists,” she said, underscoring the importance of scholarly courage and ethical commitment and emphasising that “a critical perspective is the embodiment of hope”.
She plans to initiate a writing project and reading group during her time in Uppsala that will continue to explore these themes, deepening the conversation about the role of science in society and how we might collectively imagine a more just and sustainable future.
Panel discussion
Following the lecture, a panel was convened to discuss The Triple Planetary Crisis in Science and Policy. In the panel were four Uppsala University professors:
Joëlle Rüegg, Professor of Environmental Toxicologyat the Department of Organismal Biology.
Marika Edoff, Professor of Solid State Electronics at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, specializing in solar cell technology.
Gabriele Messori, Professor of Meteorology at the Department of Earth Sciences.
Jacob Höglund, Professor of Animal Conservation Biology at the Department of Ecology and Genetics.
Panel discussion on the triple planetary crisis. From left to right panelists Marika Edoff (solar energy), Joëlle Ruëgg (toxicology), Jacob Höglund (biodiversity), Gabriele Messori (extreme weather) and moderator Mikael Karlsson. Photo: Frida Öhman
Moderated by Mikael Karlsson, Associate Professor in Environmental Science and in Climate Change Leadership at the Department of Earth Sciences, the panel discussed some of the issues raised in the lectures. This included the role of science in addressing climate issues, the question of scholarly activism, and how to deal with political backlashes and disinformation in our age of rising populism. Biermann and Gupta engaged in this lively exchange, and the audience was also given an opportunity to ask questions.
Zennström professors Frank Biermann and Aarti Gupta are visiting Uppsala University until July 2025. More photos and a recording of the event follow below.
The 2025 Zennström professors Frank Biermann and Aarti Gupta listen attentively to the panel discussion. Also in the audience: previous Zennström professors Sverker C. Jagers (2023) and Stacy VanDeveer (2024). Photo: Judith Lundberg-Felten
Frank Biermann, Niklas Zennström and previous Zennström visiting professor Stacy VanDeveer. Photo: Judith Lundberg-Felten
Aarti Gupta shares her reflections on the panel discussion. Photo: Frida ÖhmanFrank Biermann reflects on the panel’s words. Photo: Frida Öhman
Aarti Gupta and Frank Biermann. Photo: Stacy VanDeveer
Welcome to the inaugural lecture “Science and Governance for the Planet” with Prof Aarti Gupta and Prof Frank Biermann, Zennström visiting professors in Climate Change Leadership and a panel discussion on the subject “The Triple Planetary Crisis in Science and Policy”.
Venue:Hambergsalen, Geocentrum, Villavägen 16, Uppsala
Date: Monday 7 April 2025
Programme
14:15 Welcome message by Anders Hagfeldt, Vice-chancellor Uppsala University
14:20 Lectures
Prof Frank Biermann “Planetary Politics in the Age of Trump”
The planetary crisis of climate change, environmental degradation and unsustainable development is a defining challenge of the 21st century. Political solutions must navigate the rapidly changing real-world complexities, from the rise of transnational populist movements opposing environmental policies to the recent withdrawal of the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement. How can we imagine planetary politics in the “age of Trump”? This lecture explores today’s political dynamics, multilevel institutions and transformative policy options in global sustainability governance, aiming to sketch realistic approaches to planetary stewardship and governance amid geopolitical turmoil and growing anti-environmentalist backlash.
Prof Aarti Gupta “The Climate Crisis and Scholar Activism: The Necessity and the Challenges”
In addressing the climate crisis, what should be the role of the engaged scientist? What kind of science-society contract can help to address anticipatory challenges, such as climate change, where potential options to reduce climate impacts might be accompanied by uncertain and unknowable future risks, harms or benefits, which will manifest in a highly unequal and geopolitically tense world? What if scientists fundamentally disagree about these options? There is an urgent need, I argue, for scholar activism in this context of contested science. I discuss in this lecture how I have sought to engage with this need, both conceptually and in practice.
I inspelningsstudio Blåsenhus. Från vänster till höger: Mikael Karlsson, Anna Berg Grimstad, Peter Henriksson, Frida Öhman, Daniel Lindvall, Judith Lundberg-Felten
Förberedelse för ny kurs för företag på gång
I början av februari spelade vi in material på Studio Blåsenhus till vår nya nätbaserade kurs “Klimatomställning i små och medelstora företag“. Kursen riktar sig till yrkesverksamma personer i näringslivet (framförallt i SMEs), är avgiftsfri och du läser den i egen takt precis när det passar dig. Kursmaterialet kommer att vara tillgängligt från och med 17 mars.
Du kommer att lära dig om – Orsaker och konsekvenser av klimatförändring – Internationell och nationell klimatpolitik – Strategier för hållbarhet och omställningsarbete i företag – Verktyg och praktiska klimatåtgärder i företag, framförallt SMEs
Kursen finansieras av regeringens satsning “Öppet för klimatet – grön omställning” via Uppsala Universitet.
Vi söker dig som vill bli doktorand hos oss på CCL i samarbete med Uppsala kommun och bidra till klimatomställning och klimatledarskap i ett lokalt perspektiv.
Du kommer att studera kommunala strategier i form av styrmedel, insatser samt processer för delaktighet, där kommunen utgör testbädd. På så vis sammanlänkas forskningen och det praktiska samhällsbygget och du arbetar i gränslandet mellan akademi och kommun.
Till uppgifterna hör att bidra till och undersöka medborgardialoger, att genomföra enkätundersökningar och experiment rörande legitimitet och acceptans för omställning, samt fallstudier av konkreta insatser för minskad klimatpåverkan. Projektet kopplas till det nationella forskningsprogrammet Navigate som CCL är del av, samt till kommunen och dess verksamhet. Forskningen är både kvantitativ och kvalitativ. Inom ramen för projektet ska doktoranden arbeta 20 procent på Uppsala kommun.
Läs hela annonsen och sök jobbet senast 18 februari 2025 här:
Gupta and Biermann will be at Uppsala University from March to July 2025 and will be placed at the Department of Earth Sciences within the Climate Change Leadership Unit that is part of the Natural Resources and Sustainable Development programme.
Read more about their research and their aspiration with their appointment at Uppsala University.
In recent years, wind power has become increasingly cost-competitive and offers prospects for Sweden to phase out fossil fuels from the energy system. Many wind power projects are stalled, however, due to local opposition.
In an article recently published in the journal Energy Research and Social Science, Daniel Lindvall at Uppsala University and Patrik Sörqvist and Stephan Barthel at Gävle University explored if different types of financial compensation or democratic participation can enhance wind power acceptance, using a large-scale survey in Sweden. The study confirms that Swedes are very supportive of wind power. Nearly 75 percent of the respondents support the development of onshore wind farms. Still, one in four Swedes would not like to have wind turbines built near their homes.
The most effective policy option on general attitudes is to require wind power developers to pay property taxes to the host municipality. Those who are generally negative to wind power prefer, however, to receive personal financial compensation. While the results suggest that compensation could help mitigate resistance, negative attitudes towards wind power are primarily driven by ideological beliefs, low environmental concern, and a lack of political and governmental trust. Regardless of the type of compensation offered, individuals who express strong conservative ideological views (TAN-values) will most likely continue to resist wind power development.
The findings demonstrate that the proposals presented by Swedish government inquiry in 2023, Värdet av vinden, might help to enhance the support for wind power. Still, the article also demonstrates that there is no a silver bullet against negative attitudes to wind power.
The research was conducted within the research project Fairtrans, financed by Formas and Mistra.
CCL är på plats i Visby under årets upplaga av politikerveckan i Almedalen. Vi arrangerar ett flertal seminarier och samtal inom ramen för forskningsprogram som FairTrans och Navigate. Tematiken kretsar kring framtidens klimat- och miljöpolitik. Vi ställer breda frågor om hur Sverige ska kunna genomföra en rättvis omställning, vilken politik som behövs i skuggan av EU-valet samt mer specifika frågor om hur Sverige ska tackla extremväder i ett föränderligt klimat. På seminarierna diskuterar vi befintliga strategier och spanar in i framtiden med aktörer från politik, civilsamhälle, fackföreningar, myndigheter, näringsliv och forskning. Mer information om arrangemangen nedan.
Och nu då? Svensk miljöpolitik i skuggan av EU-valet
Inom forskningsprogrammet “Att navigera i det politiska landskapet: barriärer och synergier i strategier för klimat och biologisk mångfald” , kort Navigate, som finansieras av Naturvårdsverket (2022-00115) forskar vi på samtida och framtida strategier för att hantera sammanlänkade miljöproblem, framförallt utsläppsminskning och förlust av biologisk mångfald. Programmet syftar till att stärka kunskapen om hur strategier kan förbättras för att uppfylla miljömål och samtidigt undvika målkonflikter och främja synergier. Den 25 juni har vi bjudit in till rundabordssamtal för att diskutera framtidens svenska miljöpolitik i skuggan av EU-valet. Vi har bjudit in experter inom klimat- och miljöpolitik till ett samtal för att veta vad de vill se hända i politiken. Samtalet kommer användas som grund för vidare forskning i programmet.
Almedalsveckan hålls varje sommar i Almedalsparken i Visby på Gotland. Här samlas företrädare för intresseorganisationer och de svenska politiska partierna för att diskutera politik och samhällsfrågor.
Extrema klimathändelser – vilket klimatledarskap krävs?
Två seminarier arrangeras om extremväder och klimatledarskap tillsammans med Gabriele Messori, Professor i meteorologi vid Institutionen för geovetenskaper, Uppsala universitet. Klimatet förändras snabbt och extrema klimathändelser visar att det brådskar att ställa om och anpassa samhället men vilka åtgärder är mest effektiva, vilket ledarskap krävs?
Det första seminariet arrangerar vi tillsammans med Maria Ivansson från Klimatkommunerna. Vi har bjudit in politiker från fyra klimatkommuner för att diskutera lokalt klimatledarskap. Frågorna handlar om vilka utmaningarna är i respektive kommun, vilka åtgärder som planeras och vilka förbättringar som behövs.
Senare samma dag diskuterar vi extrema klimathändelser och klimatledarskap på nationell nivå med riksdagsledamöter från olika partier. Vi undrar vilken roll forskare och politiker ska ha i omställningen för att tackla extrema klimathändelser, vilka åtgärder som är effektiva samt hur begränsade resurser kan fördelas mellan insatser.
Klimatomställningen – hur gör vi den både rättvis och verksam?
Inom ramen för forskningsprogrammet FairTrans, som finansieras av Mistra, arrangerar CCL ytterligare ett seminarium i Almedalen. Temat är hur vi kan skapa en verksam och rättvis klimatpolitik för att genomföra klimatomställningen. Det finns mer och mer kunskap om hur styrmedel bör formuleras och paketeras för att klara klimatmålen, men frågan är vad styrmedelspaket bör innehålla för att uppnå en snabb och rättvis omställning. På seminariet presenteras de perspektiv och den samsyn som växer fram inom forskningsprogrammet FairTrans, som grund för en dialog mellan representanter från riksdagen, fackliga organisationer och civilsamhället.
Seminariet äger rum 26/6 kl. 10:55-11:45 på ”Stora scenen” på TCO-landet (Strandgatan 19). Länk till seminarium finns här.
Fler arrangemang kring klimatledarskap
Utöver de arrangemang vi anordnar, kommer CCL delta i ett flertal samtal och debatter som berör klimat, miljö, politik och vetenskap. Docent Mikael Karlsson kommer bland annat att medverka på följande:
On 24 May 2024 Oskar Lindgren, PhD student at CCL, presented the progression of his research at his PhD half-time seminar. Oskar is investigating the political feasibility of stringent consumer-oriented climate policies, particularly focusing on rationing as a means to reduce overconsumption. The opponent was Professor Malcolm Fairbrother from the Department of Sociology at Uppsala University. Find the abstract of Oskar’s half-time synopsis below.
Choosing appropriate climate policy instruments is challenging and various criteria apply. While many economists tend to focus on cost-efficiency, political scientists stress the importance of considering political feasibility aspects like public acceptance. However, in contrast to intense debates about the most appropriate policy instruments, most scientists agree that widespread shifts to consumption behaviors offer an opportunity for rapid climate mitigation. The common thread running through the four papers in this thesis is their attention to the political feasibility and in particular the public acceptability of stringent consumption-oriented policies. The thesis focuses on regulatory (command-and-control) policies, and rationing in particular, due to of the lack of research on public attitudes towards them and evidence suggesting that a broad set of instruments, including regulatory, economic and informative policies, is more effective than any single regulatory response.
The findings currently coming of the papers in the thesis both corroborate, challenge and add new knowledge. Paper I (Lindgren et al., 2023) shows that there are hardly any example of climate policies steering towards absolute consumption reductions in Sweden. Surprisingly, the two survey studies (paper II (Lindgren et al., in review) and III (Lindgren et al., manuscript)) conducted across six diverse countries indicate that rationing may not be more strongly opposed than taxation by the general public. Individuals expressing concern for climate change and a strong moral obligation to accept tougher environmental regulation are more likely to accept restrictive policies like rationing. One the contrary, acceptability of rationing is also influenced by individual’s self-interest motives, as frequent car drivers and meat eaters are less likely to accept the instrument. The findings from paper III underscore the importance of considering various dimensions of public policy attitudes when attempting to alter consumption behaviors through regulatory means and that these attitudes are likely to vary across contexts. Although more research is needed to validate these findings, they prompt climate policy scholars to pay closer attention to restrictive climate policies targeting consumption, and encourage politicians to consider value-based predispositions, climate change concern and people’s self-interest when considering the implementation of such policies.
Paper II: Lindgren, O., Elwing, E., Karlsson, M. & Jagers, S.C. Public acceptability of climate-motivated rationing. In review
Paper III: Lindgren, O. Factors explaining public acceptability of rationing as a climate policy instrument: A cross-country survey analysis. Manuscript
I en ny artikel från forskningsprogrammet FAIRTRANS granskar CCL forskare Eva Alfredsson, Mikael Karlsson och Daniel Lindvall, tillsammans med Mikael Malmaeus på IVL, klimatstrategierna hos de 15 företag i Sverige som har högst koldioxidutsläpp. Dessa företag tillhör stål-, järn-, mineral- och petrokemisk industri, samt värme och avfallshantering.
Forskarna analyserar företagens förväntade utsläpp till 2045 jämfört med deras koldioxidandel enligt två koldioxidbudgetar för Sverige. Företagens planer är ambitiösa och, om de genomförs som planerat, skulle de minska utsläppen med 70 procent till 2035. Trots en rejäl planerad minskning, överstiger utsläppen ändå vår huvudbudget som följer Parisavtalets 1,5-gradersmål, men håller sig inom den alternativa 1,7-gradersbudgeten.
Figur: Utsläppsminskning (kton) av de 15 företagen (källa: Alfredsson mfl 2024, Next Sustainability)
I en tillhörande debattartikel i Miljö och Utvecklingbetonar de fyra forskarna att företagens planer att minska utsläppen kan dock försenas på grund av oprövad teknik, bristande utbyggnad av förnybar energi och frånvaron av en effektiv klimatpolitik. Till och med den mindre ambitiösa 1,7-gradersbudgeten riskeras att överskridas om åtgärder fördröjs. För att lyckas krävs en snabbare utbyggnad av vindkraften och en politik som främjar energibesparing och effektivisering.
Regeringens nuvarande politik, särskilt avvecklingen av reduktionsplikten, riskerar att förhindra Sveriges förutsättningar att hålla sig inom Parisavtalets utsläppsmål. Även om de 15 stora företagen visar ambitioner att minska sina utsläpp, krävs mer för att säkerställa global klimaträttvisa och uppnå 1,5-gradersmålet. Regeringen måste stödja företagens klimatomställning istället för att ta en stor del av koldioxidbudgeten i anspråk via bakåtsträvande policyändringar.
Klimatledarskap: från vetenskap och teknik till rättvis policy för att klara samhällsmål för klimat och biologisk mångfald (5hp)
COURSE INFORMATION
Language of instruction: English Course period: Spring 2024 Course structure: Campus teaching, Uppsala University
RECOMMENDED PREREQUISITES
One year of doctoral studies when the course starts is recommended.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon completion of the course participants should be able to:
account for how knowledge about science and technology may be used in fair policy-making, for the roles of science-based advice, and the interactions between science and norms;
account for how science denial and various advocacy actors may influence research, researchers, the public understanding of science, and policy processes;
demonstrate familiarity with ways and means for scientists to shoulder leadership for mitigating and counteracting science denial in communication and science-based advise;
analyse and critically discuss political, economic and social instruments and their synergies and barriers for climate change mitigation and biodiversity protection;
analyse and critically discuss leadership, policy-making and policies for achieving public goals for at least climate change mitigation, biodiversity protection and chemicals management and resource use
The course promotes at least the examination goals A1 (by offering in-depth application of the course content in an essay linked to a theme of the doctoral project), B1 and B2 (critical assessment of emerging new and complex topics), B6 (societal development and the learning of peers), and C2 (the role of science in society).
COURSE CONTENTS
Science and technology play a fundamental role for the achievement of the sustainable development goals, not least when it comes to environmental objectives linked to e.g. climate change, biodiversity loss and chemicals pollution. However, the role of science and technology in society, as well as various policies for fair transformation, are questioned from different viewpoints and knowledge always interacts with norms in complex societal processes. Senior scientists as well as PhD students often stand in the middle of this. They would consequently benefit from enhanced awareness of what science says about the science-policy landscape generally and in their specific fields, and from critical reflections and practice on how to manoeuvre in order to uphold scientific integrity while at the same time shouldering responsibility and leadership that foster sustainable development goals.
On this basis the course is organised around six workshops with lectures, seminars and practical exercises at campus focusing on the following themes, content, theories and practical skills:
I: Science, technology and justice: Expertise and justice in science and technology, sustainability science, STS; lecture and reading exercise, case study on bioenergy (2 days, 10 hours, March 5-6, outside of Uppsala with overnight stay*).
II: Science denial and how to counteract it: Environmental science denial; hallmarks of scientific leadership; environmental communication; media, and advocacy; deliberation and participation theories; case study: features of climate denial in Sweden practical exercise: PhD students in dialogues and debates; (2 days, 10 hours, March 19-20, Uppsala, on campus)
III: Fair transformations: Political theory and climate justice; norms in economic theory; social theories on risk and globalisation; case study: linkages between participants’ PhD projects and potential sustainable transformations. (1 day, 5 hours, April 11, Uppsala, on campus)
IV: Policies, decisions and institutions, Part I: Climate leadership and biodiversity protection – rapid local, national and global proliferation of strategies and policies for synergies that bridge climate mitigation, adaption and biodiversity protection. Part II: Policies, decisions and institutions: Sustainability and the resource nexus – challenges and interactions of e.g. minerals extraction and energy transformation, and the tensions between global SDGs and climate governance; case study: linkages between PhD projects and environmental policies. (4 days, 20 hours for Part I and II, April 16-17 and April 23-24, Uppsala, on campus )
V: Presentation of essays: Course participants will be examined through an essay that will link each participants’ doctoral project to a theme in the course. Presentation, opposition and group discussions. (2 days, 10 hours, May 21-22 outside of Uppsala with overnight stay*)
*board and loging costs on retreat days are covered
Students will invest additional time (ca 2 weeks worktime) for reading and preparation of cases and their essay and presentation.
INSTRUCTION
The course is transdisciplinary and consists of six workshops (of which three are two day-gatherings), each comprising a combination of lectures and seminars with case scenarios in which the students will link knowledge to their own area of research to the course themes. Lectures are given and seminars are supervised by the new Uppsala University Zennström Professor in Climate Change Leadership, other senior lecturers and researchers at CCL and NRHU, and guest lecturers from other universities in Sweden and beyond (the latter online). Ample opportunities are provided for active student participation and critical reflection. Participation in seminars and lectures is compulsory.
CCL is hosting the international project office of the Earth System Governance network with financial support from Zennström Philanthropies and UUnicorn.
