On 9 July, Jens Beckert, Director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies and professor of sociology in Cologne, will present his analysis of dealing with climate change at the CityKirche in Wuppertal. It leads him to the realisation that despite the acute need for action to secure our livelihoods, too many people - especially those in key decision-making positions - are still putting off implementing effective solutions.

In his book published in 2024, Beckert states that the drive for growth in modern capitalism stands in the way of effective climate protection: the measures taken to date are far from sufficient to prevent a drastic rise in the average global temperature, which would make large parts of the world uninhabitable in just a few decades. In his book, Beckert, who was nominated for the Leipzig Book Fair's non-fiction prize earlier this year, analyses the interplay between the economy's pursuit of profit, the consumer needs of citizens and the interest of states in continued economic growth. His conclusion: Urgently needed measures to limit global warming are being watered down. The global dangers resulting from this can only be averted if civil society acts in solidarity to reshape the economy and politics.

The Wuppertal Transformation Talks are an event format organised by the Philosophy Department of the University of Wuppertal. The panel discussion in the CityKirche on 9 July will be open to the public following the contributions to the discussion by Wuppertal's Lord Mayor Uwe Schneidewind and philosophy professor Smail Rapic. The moderator will be Rita Casale, professor of educational science at the University of Wuppertal.