“The planet doesn’t need us, but we need it.”
Anyone wondering when it might rain again in the Lower Rhine region now knows, thanks to Sven Plöger’s captivating lecture at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences (HSRW), that it will remain dry for some time yet.
Whether it’s the fundamentals of meteorology, weather fluctuations and phenomena, climate change or sustainability in business, the qualified meteorologist and TV presenter Sven Plöger linked together, in an entertaining yet compelling manner, topics that might not seem to belong together at first glance, in front of around 450 interested people in the fully booked main lecture theatre at the HSRW.
The event was organised by the ‘unternehmerinnen forum niederrhein’, the Friends of the Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences – Cleve Campus e. V. and the TransRegINT project (Transformation of the Lower Rhine Region: Innovation, Sustainability, Participation) at the HSRW. A strong alliance has formed to raise awareness of the vital issue of sustainability for a ‘world fit for our grandchildren’, as Barbara Baratie, Managing Director of the ‘unternehmerinnen forum niederrhein’, explained. And it was a success: ‘At this event, academia, business and society come together on an equal footing,’ said Robert Beinio, Chair of the Förderverein Campus Cleve e. V., with evident delight.
The guests were welcomed in the Audimax by Prof. Dr Oliver Locker-Grütjen, President of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, who opened the event by stating that the discussion about the future of our planet requires a platform and active participation.
Climate change without change and without costs – that simply won’t work
But why is a qualified meteorologist addressing economic issues? Dipl.-Met. Sven Plöger made this clear to the audience: he doesn’t just ‘predict the weather’; he has a message: “The planet doesn’t need us, but we need it.” From the current state of the Earth’s health to the impacts of climate change, he explained to the guests in an informative yet entertaining and engaging talk why, when it comes to climate change, we do not have a problem of knowledge, but a problem of action. The extreme weather events we are experiencing today were predicted by researchers over 40 years ago. Whilst fluctuations and variations in the weather have always existed, the crucial difference, according to Dipl.-Met. Sven Plöger, is that they are now occurring much more rapidly. Researchers have calculated that every euro not invested in climate protection will cost between two and eleven euros to recoup. So what can we do?
To preserve our world, we – as a community, a society and an economy – should manage the global resources at our disposal wisely and responsibly. This also means that the economy should develop new business models. From an economic perspective, the transition to sustainability is “the deal of the century”, predicts Dipl.-Met. Sven Plöger. And yet it all comes down to each and every one of us: “The economy is also driven and influenced by our personal behaviour,” as Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Kisters, Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer at HSRW and project leader of TransRegINT, explained. “Do we want to shape the transformation, or are we simply reacting?”
Transformation towards sustainability in the Lower Rhine region “Things are happening here
in the region,” noted Dipl.-Met. Sven Plöger at the outset, and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Peter Kisters could only confirm this afterwards. “We are taking action, assuming responsibility, taking a stand, providing impetus, working with foresight and drive, and not merely trying but actually achieving initial results with our TransRegINT project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research’s ‘Innovative University’ programme.” This encompasses a wide variety of sub-projects, ranging from the introduction of innovative, project-based degree programmes, through sustainable land use, to digital assistance systems. “To ensure the Lower Rhine remains a great place to live in the future, we need cooperation between various stakeholders from academia, business and society, all working together.”
Background
: With the ‘TransRegINT – Transformation of the Lower Rhine Region: Innovation, Sustainability, Participation’ project, Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences has set itself the goal of helping to shape sustainable change in the region on a science-based foundation. The project is funded by the ‘Innovative University’ programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. This funding initiative supports universities in finding creative solutions to the pressing challenges of our time, based on research findings. ‘TransRegINT’ will receive funding of just under ten million euros until the end of 2027. This will enable the development of solutions to shape the region’s future in line with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
