News
Nature, who doesn't love it? And yet, structurally, too little money is allocated to it. Jesper Beverdam, like his supervisor Dr Frans Sijtsma, is a nature lover and trained economist. In his PhD research, within the Rudolph Agricola School for Sustainable Development and the M20 programme, he is investigating how financial instruments can be adapted or developed to stimulate nature financing. Part of this research concerns the extent to which citizens themselves are willing to contribute to nature conservation.
With great pleasure we announce that the Responsibility, Language, and Communication (RESPONSUS) research group has published a new position paper, “Critical Language Awareness as a Future Imperative: Seeing the ‘Water’,” in Frontiers - Communication.
Challenge-based, interdisciplinary, and society-oriented education. That’s what the Summer Schools are all about, co-organized by the Schools for Science & Society. The participants and lecturers, each with very different backgrounds, bring together a wide range of perspectives. ‘That diversity leads to a broad range of solutions to societal challenges.’
Dit nieuwe programma met prof.dr. Kim Poldner is speciaal ontworpen voor senior leiders en biedt ruimte om te vertragen, te verdiepen en te verbinden. Midden in de natuur.
The awaited annual symposium of the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainability Development took place last Monday, 27th October, at our very own House of Connections. Despite the rainy day, Fellows of the Rudolf Agricola School joined interested staff, PhD candidates and students from various faculties within the University of Groningen, but also from other institutions around the globe. We all gathered to discuss the role and relevance of the university in the 21st century. A topic that is especially relevant currently, when the world, the Netherlands and our northern regions are facing multiple challenges and to which the university, as an important societal impact partner, can bring about solutions.
The first episode of the podcast Wijze Raad is now available. In this new series from the Rudolf Agricola School for Sustainable Development, pressing societal issues are at the forefront. In the first season, we explore the pros and cons of billionaires. Are economic inequalities spiraling out of control? Or are billionaires actually the driving force behind innovation and progress?
Financial institutions and multinationals manage enormous cash flows. This means they play a central role not only in the global economy, but also in major political and social developments, such as the energy transition, international sanctions and geopolitical conflicts. Sometimes their influence is downright problematic. Banks can, consciously, facilitate cash flows to authoritarian regimes or companies that contribute to pollution. In such cases, the ethical boundary is clear. But there are also situations in which responsibility is less clear-cut. Can you hold a financial institution morally responsible for something it is not aware of?
During the three-day event “Speeding up the SDGs and shaping a more ambitious post-2030 agenda” at House of Connections in Groningen, participants discussed the future of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It quickly became clear that the world of 2025 looks very different from that of 2015, the year the goals were established. How should we move forward? A recap from the plenary closing session of the event.