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The IOER at COP30 in Belém: Integrating Knowledge from Society and Science for Systemic Sustainability

With two events, Leibniz institutes from the Leibniz Lab “Systemic Sustainability”  - among them the IOER – and their partners are making strong contributions to sustainability transformation at the COP30 World Climate Conference in Belém. The focus lies on creative paths for global climate protection and the concept of systemic sustainability, which views ecological, societal, and economic interconnections as an inseparable whole.

An illustration for COP30 with a large, green silhouette of Brazil in the center. Above it in dark blue letters is “COP30”, below it in bright yellow letters is “Belém, 10 – 21 November”. The logos of various institutions are depicted above.
Source: Leibniz Lab „Systemic Sustainability“

1. Art, Indigenous Knowledge, and Science – New Paths for Global Climate Protection

On 11 November 2025, the Healthy Planet – Healthy People Foundation, the International Society for Environmental Epidemiology, the Leibniz Lab “Systemic Sustainability” and the international youth initiative Climate Live are inviting participants to a side event in the Blue Zone of COP30.
Under the title “Integrating Art, Indigenous Wisdom and Science for Climate Action,” international experts will discuss how creative approaches, traditional knowledge, and scientific insights can work together to promote climate protection, health, biodiversity, and social participation.

Speakers include, among others:
•    Bareo Hassan, Ministry of Transport of Ethiopia
•    Dr. Mary B. Rice, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
•    PD Dr. Marion Glaser, Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT)
•    Prof. Dr. Markus Huff, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM)
•    Tafadzwa Chando, Climate Live

The event will be moderated by Donald Sandmann, Political Director of the Healthy Planet – Healthy People Foundation.

The Leibniz Lab “Systemic Sustainability” is represented by contributions from the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) and the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM). Both institutes initiated and organised their participation together with the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), coordinated by the IWM.

Note:
The side event in the Blue Zone is accessible to accredited press and registered COP30 participants. Virtual participation is also possible.

2. Conference on Systemic Sustainability at the Federal University of Pará

Parallel to COP30, an international conference on systemic sustainability will take place from 13 to 16 November 2025, at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA) in Belém, with an accompanying technical excursion. Organizers include the UFPA, the Leibniz Lab “Systemic Sustainability”, and three UNESCO Chairs from Portugal, Japan, and Germany.

The conference was conceptualized and organized by UFPA, the Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research (ZMT) and the Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), with contributions from the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IOER), the Leibniz Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA), the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF).

In lectures, panels, and interactive formats, researchers, students, and representatives from politics, business, and civil society will discuss issues relating to biodiversity, agriculture, fisheries, and food systems.

The conference concludes with an excursion to the coastal region around Bragança, where participants will visit local research institutions, fisheries, and sustainable resource use initiatives – a hands-on example of systemic sustainability.

Recording of the session 1a "LL-SYSTAIN - The Leibniz Lab for ‘Systemic Sustainability’" on YouTube

Complete programme of the conference (PDF) for download 

Participating Leibniz Institutes from the Leibniz Lab “Systemic Sustainability”:
•    ATB – Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy, Potsdam
•    GIGA – Leibniz Institute for Global and Area Studies, Hamburg
•    IÖR – Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, Dresden
•    IWM – Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen
•    PIK – Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Potsdam
•    ZALF – Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research, Müncheberg
•    ZMT – Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research, Bremen

The text is an abridged version of the original on the Leibniz Association website (author: Andrea Daschner, ZMT)

Scientific contact at the IOER
Prof. Dr. Jochen Schanze (Spokesperson of the Leibniz Lab „Systemic Sustainability”), e-mail: j.schanzeioer@ioer.de 

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