ZEF Lecture
Abstract: The old assumption that producing more scientific knowledge will lead to societal change is quickly becoming obsolete. We already know that climate change is dangerous, excessive meat consumption is harmful, and too little exercise undermines our health. Yet our behaviours shift only slowly, if at all. This talk explores why people don’t do what they know they should in the context of sustainability transitions. It defines and unpacks the persistent Know–Do gap, and then introduces four levers to bridge it: producing transformative knowledge for action, using narratives to translate this knowledge into societal meaning, aligning incentives among stakeholders, and creating iterative feedback loops between knowledge and implementation. Through concrete examples, it stimulates a discussion on how combining these levers might be able to accelerate real-world sustainability transformations.
The ZEF Lecture will take place on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at 6 p.m. c.t. in the "Senatssaal" (K.11.07) and on Zoom. In order to participate on Zoom, please register via the following link:
https://uni-wuppertal.zoom.us/meeting/register/MpoCVfCcTESfpxQAxn3h6w#/registration
We look forward to your participation!
