Societal Responses to Environmental Crises Conference: experts call for justice, collective action, and transformation

At the international conference “Societal Responses to Environmental Crises and Energy Transitions”, leading scholars explored how humanity can navigate the intertwined crises of our time. The event, hosted at Kaunas University of Technology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities, was organised as the ESA RN12 “Environment and Society” mid-term conference and the “Energy and Society” network’s 7th international joint conference.

Participants offered critical insights into climate injustice, energy transformation, the role of social researchers, and the challenges of the polycrisis.

The environment as the foundation of health

Human health is inseparable from the health of our planet. Dr Joyeeta Gupta, one of the plenary speakers in the conference and a professor in the University of Amsterdam, reminded participants that air pollution alone causes seven million premature deaths each year – a stark reminder that clean air, water, food, and stable climates are not luxuries but the very conditions for survival.

Alarmingly, research shows that Earth system boundaries have already been breached in more than half the planet’s area, home to 87 percent of the world’s population.

Climate injustice, particularly the manipulation of governments by fossil fuel industries, exacerbates the problem. Managing the carbon budget fairly and ensuring transparency in mechanisms like emissions trading are crucial steps toward balancing sustainability with social justice.

KTU Professor Dr Audronė Telešienė draws attention to Prof. Dr Joyeeta Gupta’s call to contribute to the Global Constitution initiative. According to her, at a time when international organizations, such as the United Nations, face growing criticism, and when some states are even withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, the voice of citizens becomes especially vital.

Times of polycrisis

Polycrisis is a condition where environmental, economic, political, and social crises overlap, feeding into and amplifying one another. Dr. Rolf Lidskog, a plenary speaker at the conference and a prosfessor at the Örebro University, provided a broader framework of the polycrisis: these interconnected risks demand broad social transformation, yet history shows that such transformations are rarely smooth.

“Many researchers feel comfortable when acting or commenting on the basis of their own scientific research – primary knowledge – which constitutes their foundational expertise. Yet interactional expertise is equally important, as it enables scholars to better communicate research findings, to persuade, and to evaluate complex crisis situations”, notes Prof. Dr A. Telešienė.

Moreover, contributory expertise becomes essential when scientists collaborate directly with policymakers, industry, or civil society actors. In such contexts, it is crucial to reflect on how and in what ways scientific primary expertise can best contribute to the co-creation of solutions that are vital for societal transformations.

The role of social researchers

 Since the early 1970s, the world has known about the destructive impacts of human activity on the environment. Yet major emitters, including the United States, continue to turn away from the science. Therefore Dr. Agata Stasik, another plenary speaker and an Assistant Professor at the Kozminski University, stressed that knowledge alone is not enough – what is needed is not only awareness, but also belief in our capacity to work together.

The transition to sustainable energy, however, is not without obstacles. Sustainable innovations do not always benefit end users directly, while the longevity of energy infrastructure slows progress. Political commitments matter, Dr Stasik noted, but they cannot deliver the necessary transformation on their own.

This is where social researchers step in. According to Dr Stasik, their role is evolving from observers to facilitators of collective experimentation – processes that bring together diverse actors to co-create knowledge, build trust, and generate locally relevant solutions.

Social researchers now act as communicators between scientists, communities, and policymakers. They foster interdisciplinary collaboration, design new methods of engagement, and work with local actors to create pragmatic solutions fit for times of polycrisis.