The event is dedicated to various forms and challenges of science, climate journalism, and sustainability communication.
How can we talk about the ecological crisis without falling into despair or depression? Why does knowledge about climate change and species extinction so rarely lead to action? And what stories reach not only our minds, but also our hearts?
On this evening, Fritz Habekuß, international climate and environment correspondent for DIE ZEIT based in Nairobi, author, and podcast host, will speak about the challenges of storytelling in times of crisis. In his lecture, he will formulate theses on the future of environmental journalism, share the voices of other storytellers, and ask which narratives can inspire courage and awaken a desire for change.
In the subsequent discussion with communications scientist Prof. Imke Hoppe, nature filmmaker and author Jan Haft, and Beatrice Lugger, Vice President of Communications, the participants will discuss how science, media, and art can work together to find new ways of communicating about climate change—and tell better stories than those that destroy the world.
The event will be opened by Prof. Dr. Carola Metzner-Nebelsick, Vice President for Humanities and Cultural Studies at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich.
Guest:
Fritz Habekuß (journalist and author, DIE ZEIT)
Prof. Dr. Imke Hoppe (Professor of Science Communication and Climate Education, Faculty of Geosciences, LMU Munich)
Beatrice Lugger (Vice President for Communications, LMU Munich)
Jan Haft (author and nature filmmaker)
Moderator: Dr. Katrin Geneuss (LMU Munich)
Fritz Habekuß (Journalist und Autor, DIE ZEIT)
Fritz Habekuß heads the ZEIT office in Nairobi, Kenya. He is a reporter, author and podcast host. His focus is on the relationship between humans and nature: What solutions do societies have to ecological crises? What is life like on an increasingly hot planet? His research has taken him to more than 50 countries. He has received several awards for his work. Fritz Habekuß was born in 1990, has been working for ZEIT since 2013 and studied science journalism with a focus on life sciences and medicine. In 2020, his bestseller ‘ÜBER LEBEN – Zukunftsfrage Artensterben’ (together with Dirk Steffens) was published by Penguin. Together with techno producer Dominik Eulberg, he hosts ‘Wunderkammer – Ein Podcast über das Stauen und die Liebe zur Natur’ (Wunderkammer – A podcast about wonder and the love of nature). In 2024, the two-part documentary series ‘Terra X – Überleben’ (Terra X – Survival) with Prof. Antje Boetius was released, for which he researched and co-wrote the script.
Prof. Dr. Imke Hoppe (Professor of Science Communication and Climate Education, Faculty of Geosciences, LMU Munich)
Imke Hoppe holds the Chair of Science Communication and Climate Education at LMU Munich. She focuses in particular on media coverage of global climate conferences and IPCC reports and their impact on public opinion, knowledge and political participation on climate change. She conducts empirical and conceptual research on climate and sustainability communication. Her theoretical focus is on science communication, political communication, media impact research and audience research. She also examines the role of technology, for example in the context of transport and CDR.
Beatrice Lugger (Vice President for Communications, LMU Munich)
Beatrice Lugger is Vice President for Communications at LMU. From 2015 to 2024, Lugger was Managing Director of the National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik). She is a chemist specialising in ecological chemistry, a science journalist and worked for almost two decades for numerous German print and online media outlets such as Politische Ökologie, Süddeutsche Zeitung, FOCUS and WIRED. Lugger established the ScienceBlogs.de platform for blogging researchers and managed the social media presence of international conferences such as the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting and Nobel Week. Beatrice Lugger has published numerous articles on topics related to science communication. As an expert in science communication, she is active in various committees such as the #FactoryWisskomm of the BMFTR. In 2021, she contributed as an expert to the Science Council's position paper on science communication.
Jan Haft (Writer, director, cinematographer)
© Nautilusfilm GmbH
Jan Haft is the founder, owner and managing director of Nautilusfilm GmbH, a successful German film production company. He is a member of the board of trustees of the Heinz Sielmann Foundation and the board of trustees of the German Nature Film Foundation. Jan Haft has written and directed 80 nature documentaries for television and four feature films; he and his films have won nearly 300 awards worldwide. Haft has published several books on biodiversity with Penguin Randomhouse. His lectures and publications in specialist journals also deal with ways of halting species extinction and the loss of biological diversity, and show how this can be achieved. His focus is on the role of large herbivores in our ecosystems. He lives with his wife Melanie and their three children on a small farm where they keep water buffalo, horses and donkeys on extensive pasture.