United for the Climate – Connected Across Europe

In the CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme, students and lecturers from different disciplines and countries work together – both online and here in Salzburg – to develop solutions to the global challenges of climate change.

Climate change does not stop at national borders, nor can it be addressed by a single academic discipline. The CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) “Nature, Society & Psychology of the Climate Crisis” brings students from across Europe together to develop interdisciplinary approaches to the challenges posed by climate change. Following a virtual phase with introductory lectures on climate modelling (Prof. Qiong Zhang, Stockholm University), environmental systems science (Prof. Christiane Zarfl, University of Tübingen), geography and sociology (Prof. Olaf Kühne, University of Tübingen), and psychology (Assoc. Prof. Lukas Thürmer and Dr Johannes Klackl, University of Salzburg), the University of Salzburg hosted an in-person week for students and lecturers from 4 to 8 May 2026.

Throughout the week in Salzburg, the focus was on teamwork and meeting industry professionals. A guided tour of the Urstein hydropower plant (Thomas Burger, Salzburg AG) allowed participants to experience the power of hydropower first-hand and discuss its impact on people and the environment.

In a conversation with Florian Iro, CEO of Erdal (Hallein), the opportunities and challenges of sustainable consumer products became clear. Students gained practical insights into approaches and strategies for addressing the impacts of climate change.

The second virtual phase begins after the on-site week: in interdisciplinary teams, participants develop their own podcasts and videos. The aim is to create solution-oriented contributions to real climate issues previously identified together with various stakeholders. The teams are to receive support from Prof. Olaf Kühne, host of the successful podcast Pangeo.

The CIVIS Blended Intensive Programme is part of the CIVIS network, which promotes collaboration among European universities and supports innovative teaching formats.

 All photos from the event in Salzburg can be found in the Flickr album.