Climate Crisis and Social Justice: MPIfG at Cologne Science Festival

A new science festival organized by the Kölner Wissenschaftsrunde was held in Cologne for the first time on November 15, 2025. The “Wissenschaftsfestival Köln” brought the city’s science and research institutions, among them the MPIfG, together to present their work to the general public. As its theme for the “science bazaar” in the Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum the MPIfG chose the challenges and opportunities around society in the climate crisis. Visitors to the booth could explore in various interactive ways how sociological climate research helps to explain the interplay between politics, economy, and society in the climate crisis. Central topics included social justice, wealth distribution, and making the German growth model more climate-friendly. Over 500 people visited the stand during the event to learn about the Institute’s research. In a dedicated “Speakers’ Corner” MPIfG senior researcher Hannah Pool gave a talk on the cost of climate change and the central role money plays, whether in localized flooding in Germany’s Ahr valley or international climate negotiations. Anja Backhaus (WDR) moderated the event.