Lecture series on the climate crisis: Our future in our hands!

We are in the midst of the sixth mass extinction, one hot summer follows another, and the melting of glaciers and polar ice caps is approaching the point of no return—the climate crisis has long since begun to show its first, sometimes irreversible, effects on our ecosystems—worldwide. At the same time, the climate crisis has a justice problem: while Big Oil continues to make billions in profits and the richest 1% of the world's population is responsible for 16% of global CO2 emissions, the countries that contribute least to the climate crisis are the hardest hit. In the so-called Global South, for example, the existence of entire island nations, such as Kiribati, is threatened by rising sea levels. In addition, the climate crisis is exacerbating existing humanitarian crises in large parts of Africa, for example. Furthermore, post-colonial structures continue to weaken the voices of the most threatened countries in global climate policy.

At the same time, there are glimmers of hope: renewable energies are in greater demand and cheaper than ever before, every week there are new, seemingly revolutionary findings and solutions to curb the climate crisis, and the climate crisis has been a fundamental part of public discourse for several years.

So where do we stand overall? What will happen when all the glaciers have melted? What roles do society, the economy, and politics play in the climate crisis? To what extent is the Global North to blame? And perhaps most importantly: What do we need to do to keep the climate crisis in check?

The “Students for Future” list in the AStA of the University of Hamburg would like to present the tenth edition of the interdisciplinary lecture series in the winter semester 2025/26. In 14 lectures, scientists, activists, and experts from a wide range of disciplines will present their knowledge on the climate crisis, providing all listeners with important basics for combating the climate crisis.