Research
The central subject of research at the professorship is how complex societies engage with ecological problems - especially climate change. On the one hand, we are interested in how ecological crises are scientifically interpreted and politically processed and how they may lead to processes of social change; and on the other hand, how new social conflicts, but also new forms of social coordination emerge that link different social actors, governance levels and dimensions of authority. Conceptually and methodologically, the research is characterised by a combination of approaches from sociology and political science, science and technology studies and ethnography.
The overarching questions are addressed in three thematic complexes:
Social-ecological transformation: First, we are interested in the social dynamics of social-ecological transformation processes, especially in Europe. Here we examine, for example, how different historical starting points, actor constellations and discourse formations shape transformation processes, and what role future knowledge in the form of model calculations and scenarios plays in public debates. Empirically, the focus in the next few years will be on the German climate transformation. Within the framework of a generous grant by the Mercator foundation (link to Mercator project here), the professorship is coordinating the production of an annual study on the status of the German low-carbon transition, which examines central social drivers of decarbonisation and carries out a social plausibility assessment of its long-term goals, as well as the development of a web-based database on the social dynamics of the climate turnaround. This will also involve a diverse range of civil society actors.
Global climate politics: Secondly, we are investigating how new forms of political steering and coordination, but also new social fault lines and conflicts become visible in the course of global climate conferences (climate COPs). To this end, we have conducted numerous observation missions at global climate and environmental conferences since COP14 in Poznan in 2008. At the COP21 in Paris, for instance, we were able to show that such conferences also have a social coordination function beyond legally binding agreements by contributing to the climatisation of global discourses and social practices. This research is currently being continued under the umbrella of the Cluster of Excellence Climate, Climatic Change, and Society (CLICCS).
Sociology of limitation: Thirdly, we analyse attempts by scientific organisations, policymakers and societal agents to anchor global ecological limits or planetary boundaries in different policy domains and societal subfields. One example of such a limit is the 1.5°C target for global warming. This limit forms the basis for new investment practices that combine sustainability-based risk indicators and new disclosure and accountability obligations for financial market actors (sustainable finance); it also forms the normative basis for climate lawsuits against states and companies in which they are to be forced to comply with climate targets or to pay compensation for climate damage (climate litigation). This research strand is being pursued in particular within the framework of the Advance Humanities Centre Futures of Sustainability.