Review: GREEN HOUR: “KLIMANEUTRALE HOCHSCHULE BIS 2028 – CHANCEN UND HERAUSFORDERUNGEN FÜR DIE UNIVERSITÄT AUGSBURG” (PD DR. SIMON MEIßnER)

Universities are important sites of research about human-made global warming and what to do against it. But they are also resource intensive institutions that should live up to the standards they proclaim to be necessary to effectively respond to the threats of climate change. Human geographer PD Dr. Simon Meißner has actively engaged with this issue at the University of Augsburg for quite some time; his engagement for the recruitment of an officer for climate protection management (Stefan Braungart) is a recent example for this. Simon Meißner’s presentation took off from the legal framework concerning the reduction CO₂ emissions as it has been defined on the EU, German, and Bavarian level, to then highlight the official goals that have been defined by Bavarian Universities: they aim to be “climate neutral” in 2028. What that means for individual universities, and especially for the University of Augsburg, was explained during this talk that was accompanied by excellent charts and illustrations.  “Avoid, reduce, compensate”—those are the three principles that need to be realized by administrative staff, craftsmen and -women, faculty, and the communications department. In times of labor shortage this is quite a challenge. But that does not speak against taking it up, and making things work.

– Written by Kirsten Twelbeck