The public perception of anthropogenic climate change is significantly influenced by the communication of scientific and political institutions. Mistakes in the form of exaggeration, actionism and distraction can have a negative impact on personal attitudes. The lecture uses three case studies to show how the effect of poor communication unfolds in the climate crisis.

Humans have drastically altered the biosphere in recent decades, resulting in significant losses of natural areas and biodiversity. Agriculture and overexploitation are the main causes of the biodiversity crisis, exacerbated by climate change, pollution and invasive species. The loss of biodiversity is accompanied by a reduction in ecosystem functions, higher risks and instability, and food security and social justice are also at stake. Solutions and global goals are promising, but have not yet contributed to a global trend reversal. Biodiversity must be better protected locally and globally – but how?

Geographical distances no longer play the central role in the course of the planetary crisis nature of our resources; rather, the idea of unlimited global responsibility has now gained great recognition. The lecture discusses the associated differentiated values, norms and possibilities for action.

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The climate crisis as a crisis of capitalism: causes, profiteers, alternatives

The lecture thematises and outlines modern capitalism and its inherent entanglement with the emergence of the climate crisis. From a critical perspective, it analyses the extent to which capitalism as a system based on growth, profit maximisation and resource exploitation inevitably leads to ecological destruction. The central questions are: Is a sustainable economy even possible within capitalism or are far-reaching changes to the system necessary? Which political and social forces prevent or favour ecological change? What role do transnational corporations, neoliberal deregulation and imperial lifestyles play in exacerbating the climate crisis?

The lecture encourages critical reflection on existing power relations and invites students to discuss alternative social and economic models that are not based on exploitation and growth at any price. The lecture will include interactive methods.

No event in international relations attracts more attention than the annual United Nations Climate Change Conferences. Many thousands of negotiators from over 190 countries meet regularly at the end of November/beginning of December and are joined by tens of thousands of journalists, scientists and representatives of civil society or major companies. For a fortnight, the world focuses on the so-called COP in Paris (2015), Baku (2024) or Belem (2025). But does it actually achieve anything? What exactly is being negotiated here? And where do we stand in our political efforts to curb the worst effects of climate-induced climate change? The lecture will discuss these questions by briefly recapping the history of international climate policy, but above all by discussing the exciting institutional architecture of the negotiations. And as a spoiler, there is more to it than you might think…

Markus Lederer has headed the International Relations working group at TU Darmstadt since 2016, which works in particular on issues of global environmental, climate and security policy. He completed his doctorate at LMU Munich, spent his time as a postdoc primarily at the University of Potsdam and gained academic experience at WWU Münster, the University of Bremen, in Aix-en-Provence, New York, San José and London. Current projects focus on the conditions for success and geopolitical consequences of the expansion of renewable energies in emerging countries. He is currently spokesperson for the International Relations Section of the German Political Science Association and Associate Editor of the journal Earth System Governance. He coordinates the International Relations/Peace and Conflict Studies programme, is one of the spokespersons for the interdisciplinary study programme (iSPs) and regularly gives seminars on global energy and climate policy.

Even in times of war and geopolitical upheaval: the climate crisis never stops.

This makes it all the more urgent to find solutions and adaptation strategies, even if there is currently a lack of reliable global cooperation between the biggest polluters.

The presentation will illustrate what developments can be expected and why it is worthwhile for Europe to stick to the Green Deal and ambitious climate protection measures.

The lecture and the subsequent in-depth workshop aim to sensitise students and teachers to how the global climate catastrophe, German responsibility and the rise of fascism are interlinked. Particular attention will be paid to internal mechanisms such as internalised oppression, racist structures and the need for critical self-reflection. Participants should also recognise that ecological crises cannot be viewed in isolation, but are closely linked to social and political power relations. As part of the in-depth workshop, practical strategies will be developed to expand the participants' own scope of action and actively tackle the structural challenges. It will also discuss how educational institutions can be used as transformative spaces in which teachers and students work together to deconstruct exclusionary and oppressive structures. The aim is to create an awareness that sustainably strengthens collective resistance against ecological and social injustices and exploitation.

Tarah-Tanita Truderung (she/her) is an Afro-German social worker, social scientist and educational counsellor with a Master's degree in ‘Pedagogy and Management in Social Work’ from Cologne. In her master's thesis, she researched resistance strategies against racism at German universities. She has published two books, including ‘Resist Academia’ and ‘Gehört Aktivismus in die Sozialwissenschaft?’. She specialises in racism-critical social work, intersectional feminism, empowerment and decolonial knowledge (re)production. As a facilitator, speaker and abolitionist, she designs transformative spaces for diverse communities, holds keynotes and workshops and moderates events to question power structures and promote social justice.