PANELISTS

Prof. Keri Facer, Professor of Educational and Social Futures at the University of Bristol

Prof. Uwe Schneidewind, Lord Mayor of Wuppertal

Host: Dr. Jan Wöpking, Managing Director, German U15

AGENDA

16:00 / 17:00 Welcome by Dr. Jan Wöpking, German U15

16:05 / 17:05 Input Prof. Keri Facer, University of Bristol

16:10 / 17:10 Input Prof. Uwe Schneidewind, City Wuppertal

16:15 / 17:15 Open discussion moderated by Dr. Jan Wöpking, German U15

BACKGROUND

We invite you to discuss the vision of carbon neutral universities, sustainable cities and how they are interconnected with two leading thinkers on this topic:

• Keri Facer, Professor of Educational and Social Futures at the University of Bristol. She is the author of the recent report “Beyond business as usual: Higher education in the era of climate change“;
• Uwe Schneidewind, Lord Mayor (Oberbürgermeister) of Wuppertal, former president of the Wuppertal Institute, a leading institute for sustainability research and developing transformation, and also former president of the University of Oldenburg.

The discussion will touch upon, but is not limited to the following topics:

• The future of cities is sustainable and carbon-neutral. Universities play a crucial role to make this happen. But how? What can and should they do in terms of providing talent, insights, ideas, and technologies? How should they educate both future and current generations with regard to climate change?
• At the same time, universities need to become sustainable themselves. Many have already pledged to become carbon zero institutions in the next years. How can this be achieved?
• Facer and Schneidewind both point to the huge potential of linking universities in cities and their efforts to become sustainable. As Keri Facer puts it: “Universities and colleges are powerful anchor organisations that can make a significant contribution to the creation of ecological and economic sustainability in local communities.” And Uwe Schneidewind has put forward the idea of organizing research and teaching at universities around the transformation processes at work in the city. How would this work? Is it already happening? And what does it mean for universities, cities, and their connection?