The DFG Leverage Points Network met from 5th to 6th of March 2025 for their second workshop to continue the work on and development of an innovative framework for assessing the means to achieve plausible climate change adaptation, mitigation and transformation pathways.

This second meeting took place at Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development focusing on the realm re-think. We discussed how knowledge co-production and the inclusion of non-academic actors (especially, Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, IPLC) can enhance people’s livelihood and security instead of posing another burden on climate-impacted communities. We also discussed the network’s positionality and aim to break colonial thinking patterns in science and within our network itself. 

Two guest speakers gave important inputs: Tero Mustonen is an environmental scholar, fisher, community leader, and head of the Snowchange Initiative, a nonprofit organisation supporting Indigenous and local communities in the Arctic Region. Based in Selkie in North Karelia, Finland, he is also an Associate Professor at the University of Eastern Finland and a lead author of the 6th IPCC Assessment Report. A strong advocate for traditional knowledge and ecological restoration, he combines research with hands-on conservation.

Prof. Benjamin Nölting from the Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development is a professor and researcher specializing in regional sustainability transformations. He focuses on sustainability governance, regional development, and transdisciplinary approaches. Committed to bridging research and practice, Benjamin Nölting has played a key role in shaping HNE Eberswalde’s sustainability strategies and leads initiatives on knowledge transfer and collaboration.

It was a great and productive workshop, with much work yet to come. Our final workshop will take place in autumn 2025 in Rostock, Germany.