Public Climate School from 24 - 30.11.2025

Over the past few semesters, student teachers at the Department of Physics Education have developed teaching materials on climate change and critical thinking in the context of climate change that are suitable for physics and science lessons.

The materials were created as part of an Erasmus+ project and are already available online on the following website: https: //engagingforclimate.eu/de/resources

Time: 11.15 - 12.00 and available at any time thereafter

Place: Online

Language: German

Advisor: Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert has headed the Energy, Transport, Environment Department at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) since 2004 and is Professor of Energy Economics and Energy Policy at Leuphana University.

Link: https: //publicclimateschool.de/schulprogramm/2025/energie/

The hour offers a well-founded insight into the current situation of the energy transition in Germany. Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert sheds light on the role of renewable energies in the area of conflict between climate protection, economic stability and geopolitical security. Together with the students, she discusses challenges, solutions and political options for action. Participants will reflect on the significance of the energy transition for their own future and develop concrete perspectives for a sustainable energy policy.

Location: HSZ/403

Speaker: Paula Scharfe, City of Dresden

Lecture as part of the environmental lecture "I want to ride my bicycle": On the way to university, on vacation in the mountains or at major events such as the Tour de France - the bicycle is no longer just a simple means of transportation. It has developed into a multifaceted symbol that goes far beyond pure mobility. Today, it stands for climate protection, health, social change and new forms of urban quality of life - but also for conflicts over space, safety and political priorities.

Time: 11.15 - 12.00 and available at any time thereafter

Place: Online

Language: German

Advisors: As part of the Urban League 2023/24, Michelle, Sophie, Celina and other participants developed a research project on collaborative climate adaptation in cities under the motto "Climate x City x Making". The result is a practical guide for municipalities, civil society and city makers that shows how cities can be made sustainable together. The Urban League - an alliance of young female city makers supported by the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Building (BMWSB) - strengthens the voice of young people in public discourse and promotes the development of shared urban visions and the questioning of existing practices in urban development.

Link: publicclimateschool.de/schulprogramm/2025/klimaresilienz-in-staedten/

Heavy rain, flooded streets, heated schoolyards - the consequences of the climate crisis have long been felt in our cities and on our schoolyards. Sealed surfaces exacerbate the problems: Water cannot seep away, heat builds up, cool recreational spaces are lost. But how can cities become more resilient?
In this lesson, you will learn about the concept of the "sponge city" - a city that absorbs and stores rain like a sponge. Together we will discover how greening, unsealing and clever planning can help to make our living environment climate-friendly. And you will develop your own ideas on how your schoolyard could become part of a sponge city.

Location: POT/112

Advisor: Prof. Jens Borken-Kleefeld, Chair of Transport Ecology/ TUD

Location: GÖR/127/U

Language: English

Input: Josef Trögl, Karim Al Souki, Sylvie Kříženecká (UJEP Faculty of Environment, Ústí nad Labem, Project IDEAL)

Sediments in cross-border rivers act as both sinks and secondary sources of pollutants, influencing water quality and ecosystem health across national boundaries. The lecture address: processes of pollutant accumulation, transport, and remobilization in riverine sediments, with examples from regions affected by industrial, agricultural, and military activities. Special focus will be given to the monitoring, managing, and remediating contaminated sediments in transboundary contexts, where environmental policies and responsibilities often differ. The lecture will highlight the importance of cooperative approaches and joint management strategies to ensure sustainable river basin protection.

Time: 10.00 - 10.45 a.m. and available at any time thereafter

Location: Online

Language: English

Input: Climate Stories makes the climate crisis tangible by enabling young people from the Global South to share their personal stories with students in Germany. In intercultural encounters - digital in school workshops and multimedia on social media - they report on the impact of the climate crisis on their lives and their commitment to a better future.

Link: https: //publicclimateschool.de/schulprogramm/2025/climate-justice/

Climate justice is not just about numbers and political decisions - it involves real people and their life stories. As part of the lesson, a person from the Global South tells how the climate crisis is shaping their everyday life, their environment and their future - and how they themselves are taking action to initiate change. Instead of abstract facts, the students experience a personal perspective that brings them directly into the conversation. They can ask questions, learn about the background and reflect together on what global responsibility means. In doing so, they strengthen important skills such as empathy, intercultural openness, critical thinking and the willingness to contribute their own ideas for a fairer world.

Time: 11.15 - 12.00 and available at any time thereafter

Place: Online

Language: German

Advisor: Klara Müller (Hochschule für Gesellschaftsgestaltung Koblenz). 4FutureLabs is an innovative educational program for future education that combines social change and individual creative power. It is aimed at students, teachers, school administrators, political leaders and stakeholders in business and society. In workshops and other formats, we create positive visions of the future and work with participants to take the first steps towards their realization. Through encouraging, meaningful learning, young people overcome their fears of the future and discover their creative power.

Link: https: //publicclimateschool.de/schulprogramm/2025/positive-zukunftsbilder/

The lesson deals with the topic of climate-friendly futures and provides an insight into the 4FutureLabs educational format. It starts with the purpose and phases of 4FutureLabs. This is followed by practical exercises alternating with input. The focus is on revealing and reflecting on the participants' visions of the future: what could a climate-friendly future look like in 2050? We will look at the area of technology and digitality as an example. Finally, we will venture an outlook: how can we continue to deal with central questions for a climate-friendly future and discover the power to shape it?

Time: 8.45 - 9.30 a.m. and available at any time thereafter

Location: Online

Language: German

Advisor: Maurice Höfgen (*1996 in Mönchengladbach) is a German economist, business economist, author and freelance journalist. He has published the books Mythos Geldknappheit, Der Neue Wirtschaftskrieg and Teuer! He is known from the YouTube format "Geld für die Welt" and "Jung und Naiv", among others. He works as a columnist for the Berliner Zeitung and taz newspapers and as an editor for Surplus magazine.

Link: https: //publicclimateschool.de/schulprogramm/2025/wirtschaft/

Climate change, social protests and political developments are currently showing us that our society is in a state of crisis. Together with Maurice Höfgen, we are interested in the question of the extent to which our current economic and financial system is the cause of these developments and what economic alternatives exist to make human life on this planet more "sustainable" in the school lesson "Sustainability & Economy - how do they fit together". In this lesson, we invite you to take a "bird's eye view" of our economic system with one of Germany's best-known economic influencers and discuss exciting "what if" scenarios. Together with Maurice Höfgen, we will find out what we need to change and why donuts could play a role in this!

Time: 10.00 - 10.45 a.m. and available at any time thereafter

Location: Online

Language: German

Advisor: Maximilian Arnhold, born in 1996, is a freelance journalist and presenter from Hanover. He completed a traineeship at the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland (RND) and works as a reporter for the taz and other German-language media. Main focus: Climate policy, protests and the oceans.

Link: https: //publicclimateschool.de/schulprogramm/2025/klimakommunikation/

Climate change? "It's all scaremongering!" - You're probably familiar with these kinds of slogans from TikTok, Insta or other social media platforms. In this workshop, we'll check out the most popular climate myths online and practise how you can counter them quickly and smartly. Whether it's delaying tactics or simple lies: Together we will build a toolbox that you can use not only to stand up to deniers online, but above all to convince your fellow readers. And we'll look at how you can create your own fact-rich posts that shape the climate debate.

Location: MOL/213

Input: Lars Backhaus (Faculty of Civil Engineering)

The SustainAbility: Understanding and Implementing Sustainability course (formerly Basic Lecture on Ecological Sustainability) has been offered at TU Dresden since the winter semester 2021/22. Organized by students, this lecture series offers the opportunity to deal with ecological, economic and social sustainability from different perspectives.

The lecture is designed to reach as many people as possible. This means that high school students, first-year students, students in higher semesters as well as employees and even senior citizens outside the TUD can participate with or without prior knowledge without getting bored. Content is presented in a low-threshold and understandable way.

Time: 10.00 - 10.45 a.m. and available at any time thereafter

Location: Online

Language: German

Advisors: The artist Jan Kamensky describes himself as a visual utopian and digital gardener. Since 2020, he has been creating utopian films in which he shows the transformation of car-dominated streets into places worth living in. His animations reach people all over the world - from Berlin to Mexico City to Jakarta. His films are presented in renowned museums and exhibitions.

Link: https: //publicclimateschool.de/schulprogramm/2025/utopia/

The artist Jan Kamensky invites students on a visual journey of discovery into the city of the future. We start by thinking together: How do we want to live - and what would we change about our city? Inspired by Kamensky's short films, in which gray streets become green, liveable places, we use various painting utensils to create our own visions of the future on a prepared city template. Afterwards there will be time for a Q&A. Afterwards, the focus will shift to the schoolyard as a concrete space: a practical guide will show how we can redesign it creatively and sustainably.