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.
