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Department of Spatial Planning

Involvement in summer school on sustainability

Víctor Cobs-Muñoz presenting during the 2024 Summer School on Sustainability © Sustainability Office​/​TU Dortmund University

The TU Dortmund Summer School of Sustainability took place from August 12 to 16, bringing together students, academics, and experts to deepen their understanding of sustainability.

The event was a collaborative effort organised by the Sustainability Office, the Clinical and Biological Psychology Research Group, and the Spatial Modelling Lab. Víctor Cobs-Muñoz, a member of our lab, played a key role both in the organisation and as a lecturer during the course.

The summer school aimed to raise awareness about sustainability and encourage participants to integrate these principles into their personal and professional lives. Through collaborative activities and critical analysis, participants engaged with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and reports from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The course guided them in forming their own perspectives on the IPCC's findings and the SDGs, helping them to consider how they can apply this knowledge in practical ways. One of the highlights of the program was the interactive simulation game Sustain2030. In this exercise, participants assumed the roles of various stakeholders within a fictitious citizens' council advising the federal government. Tasked with finding political compromises amidst competing interests and limited financial resources, the participants gained insight into the complexities of decision-making processes and the interconnected nature of the SDGs.

The summer school encouraged participants to actively engage in political and societal discussions, empowering them to become more self-efficacious in problem-solving and applying their experiences from the course to real-world contexts.