The Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) is coming up with a sequel to a successful popular science publication on climate change. The brochure Climate Change II builds on the previous work published in 2022 and presents current scientific knowledge about the phenomenon of the climate crisis from the perspective of the social sciences. The publication was created as part of the Open Academy edition and is freely available online on the SAS website.
Today, the expert world agrees that climate change is the result of human activity. At the forefront of the problem is therefore the person and the society that caused this problem with its behavior.
“With this brochure, we want to show what social science disciplines can offer not only in understanding but also in addressing climate change. Today we know that the problem cannot be solved in isolation, the cooperation of various scientific disciplines and sectors will be important,” said one of the compilers, psychologist Jakub Šrol from the Institute of Experimental Psychology of the Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
Thanks to the brochure, the general and professional public has the opportunity to get to know an important part of the mosaic of the picture of the climate crisis, where the main role is played by humans. Readers can expect chapters from philosophy, sociology, psychology, economics, prognosis, but also history, human geography, anthropology and human rights.
The publication also brings a unique view of how many communities at home and around the world today know the sound, aftertaste or smell of climate change. It also looks to the future, defining possibilities and even opportunities for a world where the climate crisis is a reality that we can face. The team of authors also raises the question of whether we will be able to take measures in the fight against climate change that will be not only effective, but also fair across geographical regions and social strata. Experts from the SAS have repeatedly appealed to the importance of civic activism. This is proving to be a key starting point, especially if we recognize the word of the social sciences not only in the dialogue on climate change and the future, but especially in our actions.
“We did not want the publication to sound pessimistic, even though optimism would be naïve. As a psychologist, I advocate an active hope approach. As individuals, but also as a society, we need to think about what kind of world we and future generations want to live in. However, not to stay with fantasy, but to act, to demand that systemic measures be taken. We should look for the energy to be part of the solution, not just part of the problem,” added psychologist Mgr. Miroslava Šudila Žilinská from the Institute for Research in Social Communication of the Slovak Academy of Sciences.
The following authors participated in the publication: Richard Stahel (Institute of Philosophy of the Slovak Academy of Sciences), Katarína Strapcová (Institute of Sociology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences), Jaroslava Panáková (Institute of Ethnology and Social Anthropology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences), Júlia Čížová (Institute of History of the Slovak Academy of Sciences), Jakub Šrol (Institute of Experimental Psychology, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences of the Slovak Academy of Sciences), Miroslava Šudila Žilinská (Institute for Research in Social Communication SAS), Dušana Dokupilová (Institute of Prognostics, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS), Anna Kalistová (Institute of Social Sciences, Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences SAS), Pavel Šuška (Institute of Geography SAS), Mikuláš Huba (Institute of Management of the Slovak University of Technology, Researcher Emeritus of the Institute of Geography of the Slovak Academy of Sciences).
The publication Climate Change II is proof that this topic needs a multidisciplinary approach, and it is the SAS in Slovakia that covers the cooperation of scientific disciplines and enables the transfer of knowledge to the public in human language.
More information about the brochure can be found in the video.
All popular science publications published so far can be found on the Open Academy website – in the EXPLAINING section.
The brochure can also be browsed on mobile devices after scanning the QR code (attached).
Edited by: Katarína Gáliková
video: Martin Bystriansky