Research Group Leader
Kathleen holds a Ph.D. in atmospheric chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley and worked at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) prior to joining the IASS, where she leads the group “Climate Action in National and International Processes (ClimAct).” Her research focuses on participation in and understanding of political forums that aim to drive climate action, with a particular emphasis on integrated approaches to mitigating climate change and air pollution.
Social Sciences and Humanities
Life Sciences
The Effects of Covid-19
Digital
English
Panel Discussion
Unveiling the Connections of a Complex World: How Can we Make our Societies More Resilient in Times of a Pandemic?
IASS Potsdam, Women Leaders for Planetary Health, Technische Universität Berlin, KLUG – Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit | Kathleen Mar, Martin Herrmann, Martina Schäfer, Nicole de Paula, Ortwin Renn
It’s about way more than a vaccine: scientific responses for building resilience and supporting health and sustainability in the wake of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic and social life across the globe, causing over 800,000 deaths worldwide so far. The pandemic and our responses to it raise fundamental questions about sustainability: how can we redesign our health, social, and economic systems to be resilient in the face of eminent crises? How can we make our societies more resilient to cope with severe threats?
In our event we will explore these questions and the role that science can play in offering solutions – solutions that go far beyond the development of a vaccine. Whether it be the next pandemic or the climate crisis, our global society is increasingly confronted with so-called wicked problems: complex phenomena characterized by uncertainties in causal relationships, ambiguities in interpretation of the problem itself and possible solutions, and often related to issues that are highly controversial.
Facing these challenges requires integration of knowledge from many academic disciplines as well as from non-academic practitioners (e.g., from civil society and politics), an idea which is encompassed in the concept of transdisciplinary research. Our event provides diverse perspectives on the complex interconnections between human health, the health of the planet, and the societal structures support and hinder the sustainability of both.
PUBLIC PANEL DISCUSSION ON ZOOM. PLEASE REGISTER.
This is a digital event. If you would like to attend please book your spot by 6 November here. The number of participants is limited to 100. There is no admission fee.
Kathleen Mar
IASS Potsdam
Martin Herrmann
KLUG - Deutsche Allianz Klimawandel und Gesundheit
President
Dr. med. Martin Herrman is the founder and spokesperson of KLUG, and has been professionally accompanying change processes for many years. Originally a medical doctor and psychotherapist, Martin Herrmann soon switched to advising companies and NGOs, developingnew methods for organizational development. He now teaches at international business schools and universities. His particular love is complexity research, philosophy and especially Hannah Arendt.
Martina Schäfer
Zentrum Technik und Gesellschaft, Technische Universität Berlin
Scientific Director
Martina Schäfer studied biology at the University Stuttgart-Hohenheim and has completed PhDs in environmental technology and sociology at TU Berlin. Since 2010 she has been working as Scientific Director of the ZTG at the TU Berlin. She began her career at the ZTG in 1996 and has been carrying out and coordinating numerous inter- and transdisciplinary research projects in the area of sustainability research from that point up to the present.
Nicole de Paula
Women Leaders for Planetary Health
Executive Director and Founder
Dr. Nicole de Paula was the first Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellow at the Institute for Sustainable Development (IASS) in Potsdam, Germany. For more than a decade, she has been globally connecting policymakers and researchers to create a public understanding on key issues related to sustainability, environment and public health. Previously she was the director of a think-tank in Bangkok, Thailand. She is the founder of the Women Leaders for Planetary Health and co-founder of an interdisciplinary research group on Planetary Health at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Ortwin Renn
IASS Potsdam
Director
Professor Ortwin Renn is Scientific Director at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam. He is professor for technology assessment and environmental sociology at the University and co-directs the non-profit DIALOGIK, a research institute for the investigation of communication and participation processes. He is Adjunct Professor for Integrated Risk Analysis at Stavanger University (Norway) and Affiliate Professor for Risk Governance at Beijing Normal University.