Climate change, biodiversity loss, and the rise of inequality and conflict make one thing unmistakably clear: profound transformation is not optional. The only question is whether it will happen by disaster—or by design.
In this Campus Lecture, Professor Peter Messerli, Director of the Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern, will explore how just and equitable transformations can safeguard both people and the planet. Drawing on research and concrete examples from the Wyss Academy's work in Kenya, Madagascar, Switzerland, and Peru, he will demonstrate how insights can be transformed into impact by bridging science, policy, and practice. Grounded in purpose, systems thinking, and the courage to act and learn, this lecture invites us to imagine and build a future where nature and humanity thrive together.
The lecture will be followed by a conversation with Hansjörg Wyss, whose recently published biography The Art of Impact underscores how visionary action can shape the world we live in.
About Peter Messerli
Peter Messerli is Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of the Wyss Academy for Nature at the University of Bern. Trained as a geographer, he studies how people and the environment can thrive together, especially as global demands continue to grow. For more than ten years, he led research programs in Africa and Asia, and from 2009 to 2020 he was Director of the Centre for Development and Environment (CDE) at the University of Bern. Over the years, he has worked at the crossroads of science, politics, and society – from local projects to international initiatives. He co-chaired the Global Land Programme of Future Earth and was appointed by the UN Secretary-General to lead the team of independent scientists that wrote the first Global Sustainable Development Report in 2019. In 2023, he was honoured as a Fellow of the International Science Council in recognition of his efforts to promote science as a global public good.
This event will be held in English- simultaneous translation into German available.
Register here