Global Health Symposium: Extreme Heat and Health in the Context of Climate Change
The symposium was co-hosted by the Copenhagen Center for Disaster Research and the School of Global Health, University of Copenhagen. Maryam Nastar contributed to a session on: “Emerging interdisciplinary perspectives on extreme heat”. It included a discussion on the existing disparity between intended goals and actual outcomes of heat-related policies, and how this gap can be solved.
The symposium aimed to bring together leading scientific experts and practitioners, young researchers, students, and the public to share and discuss the current state of research and practice globally, promote transdisciplinary collaboration, and identify steps needed to advance the field.
UNESCO declaration of 2025 as the international year of glaciers’ preservation
Mine Islar participated in the UNESCO launch in Paris to declare 2025 as the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. The aim was to highlight the importance of glaciers and ensure that those relying on them, and those affected by cryospheric processes, receive the necessary hydrological, meteorological, and climate services.
As part of a panel on adaptation and the socio-economic impacts of glacial melt, she highlighted that we already have enough knowledge about glacier loss. Now is the time to focus on the science of action by linking action to transformative change and framing bold economic and social policies.
United and Present Conference – global solutions from within: a mindful approach to diplomacy, UN work, and beyond
Christine Wamsler gave a presentation at the conference in Geneva, which explored how contemplative practices and inner capacities – such as mindfulness – can strengthen diplomacy, human rights, and systems leadership. Anchored in the UN System Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy, the UN Human Rights Mindfulness Initiative, and the landmark UN General Assembly Resolution on World Meditation Day, the conference aimed to underscore that individual and collective well-being is not a luxury, but an essential and attainable foundation for protection, inclusion, and shared progress.
International Mindfulness Conference, THE ICM-AP, 2025
Christine Wamsler gave a keynote address at the very first international mindfulness conference in Hong Kong. It focused on the nexus between mind(fulness) and sustainability and discussed how we can address today’s polycrisis and the role mindfulness and contemplative practices play in this context. The conference series has been organised since 2012, and brings together researchers, practitioners, and enthusiasts committed to integrating mindfulness into healthcare, education, and the workplace.
MÄHTTSE – Forest Landscapes
David Harnesk organised several field-based workshops near Arjeplog with researchers at Silvermuseet / INSARC. The aim was to develop new ways to improve the state of boreal forest ecosystems from the perspective of Indigenous Sámi reindeer pastoralists and the best available research.
Lund University at the climate corps summer school
Murray Scown represented LUCSUS and Lund University at the Climate Corps Summer School in Seoul. It is an initiative to connect faculty members and students from 35 universities to unite higher education institutions to co-generate impactful solutions for the climate crisis.
Murray Scown gave a guest lecture and mentored students on their summer school projects. The event also led to a collaborative proposal to develop climate-kind pedagogies with partners in Canada, Japan, South Korea, UK, Spain, and LUCSUS.
TRANSFORM final meeting
Barry Ness attended the final meeting for the TRANSFORM project. It aims to co-design, evaluate and scale up sustainable and transformational business models with focus on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Project partners discussed key results from the project, including the need to work long-term with SMEs to support them in implementing and finalising sustainability projects. Apart from building trust and understanding the SMEs’ different challenges, it is also key to create conditions for iterative learning between personnel in SMEs and researchers.
LUCSUS leads work to scale up lessons learned from sustainability projects so they can be applied across sectors and at a larger scale.
1,000,000 downloads!
During 2025, Kimberly Nicholas and Seth Wynes’ 2017 paper, titled “The climate mitigation gap: education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions,” reached its millionth download. It is extremely rare for academic papers to reach this level of impact in terms of reach; on average, an academic paper is downloaded approximately 200 times.
“It feels good that our research has reached outside of academia to civil society, individuals, and organisations. So often academic papers are only read by a few scholars,“ says Kimberly Nicholas.
“I have been contacted by so many people who have changed their everyday practices as a result of this work, and that inspires me to continue to help guide individuals towards their most impactful climate actions.”
European network of housing researchers
Melissa Garcia Lamarca participated in a keynote panel in Paris, titled: “Rent control and housing retrofit: the impossible junction?”. The panel explored experiences with rent control from both the perspectives of housing affordability and climate change mitigation and adaptation, discussing objectives, instruments and outcomes of rent control policies, the capacity for political action and the ability of public actors to intervene in housing prices while responding to the climate crisis.
Bridging knowledge for science with impact in the amazon – Nordic – Brazilian dialogue toward and beyond COP30
PhD student Juan Antonio Samper presented his research in Manaus and participated in a working group which had the objective to co-create ideas and strategies for transdisciplinary research in the Amazon. This pre-event for COP30 focused on responsible, inclusive, and impactful research and innovation in the Amazon.
Conference: a Green and Just Transition for all – can the private sector deliver?
PhD student Valentina Lomanto presented her research in Copenhagen, within a panel focusing on critical mining.
The conference aimed to discuss the dilemmas and challenges associated with achieving a green and just transition, in which the private sector can ensure that the world’s growing need for renewable energy and critical minerals does not exacerbate global inequalities.
Growing together – building the future of perennial grains with Kernza
LUCSUS researchers Stefan Schüller, Lennart Olsson, and Elina Andersson co-organised an interactive workshop with partner organisation ISARA Lyon in Saint-Marcel-Bel-Accueil. The event brought together an international group of more than 25 participants – including farmers, food industry professionals, and scientists from across Europe – to explore the opportunities and challenges of producing, processing, and marketing Kernza, the first perennial grain currently being grown and processed in Europe.
The aim was to foster cross-regional, interdisciplinary learning and to generate valuable insights for future piloting efforts and the continued development of the Kernza value chain in Europe.
How Sustainable is your Fika?
LUCSUS organised a breakfast seminar during Lund Sustainability Week. It explored challenges and opportunities in coffee and grain agriculture, with focus on labour conditions for coffee workers and the potential of perennial crops in revolutionising food production.
LUCSUS researchers Sinem Kavak, Lennart Olsson and Elina Andersson presented their work together with bakers from local bakery Bagaren and Bonden, who highlighted their experiences of baking with the perennial wheat grain Kernza.
Samers rättigheter och klimat- förändringar: vad är en rättvis grön omställning?
David Harnesk participated in a panel debate during Lund Sustainability Week which focused on the green transition in the North of Sweden. Questions included: what are the consequences of this transition, and how does it affect the Indigenous rights of the Sámi population?
David Harnesk presented research highlighting perspectives of Indigenous Sámi reindeer pastoralists.
