Social participation as the key to sustainable development

The series of events, which took place for the fourth time and was aimed at students from all faculties, focussed primarily on the link between social participation and sustainability and asked: How can these aspects be jointly considered and strengthened in Thuringia? Professors from a total of six Thuringian universities took part.

The final panel discussion with Tine Wemheuer from Erfurt University of Applied Sciences, Sophia Schröter from BUNDjugend Thuringia, Christian Prechtl from the Ministry for the Environment, Energy, Nature Conservation and Forestry, Professor Matthias Gather from the Thuringia Sustainability Advisory Council and Stephan Panhans from the “Paritätische Wohlfahrtsverband” was moderated by Professor Viola Muster (Erfurt University of Applied Sciences) and once again made it clear that sustainable development can hardly be achieved without social participation. It was critically emphasised that the perspectives of people with low incomes or disabilities are often neglected, particularly in the fields of energy and mobility. For example, the "invisible" energy poverty was discussed, which severely affects those affected but often remains underrepresented in political discussions. However, there was agreement that the promotion of participation and social justice must be central elements of sustainable policy. This requires greater consideration of the different realities of life. However, there was controversy over the question of how these goals can be realised in the face of tight public finances. The Germany Ticket was discussed here as an example of the challenges of cost distribution and possible deadweight effects.

The next lecture series on the topic of "Sustainable Development" is planned for the winter semester 2026/27.