The climate crisis affects not only ecosystems and infrastructure—it is increasingly becoming a burden on mental health. The new policy ultra-brief “Wie die Klimakrise unsere psychische Gesundheit bedroht” examines both direct impacts of extreme weather events and indirect consequences such as concerns about the future, uncertainty, and societal transformations. Particular attention is given to population groups that are especially vulnerable due to health-related, social, or economic factors.
The policy ultra-brief is aimed at decision-makers in administration, politics, and the media. It provides concrete recommendations on how climate protection measures can be integrated with the protection and promotion of mental health. The goal is to outline policy approaches that strengthen societal resilience and mitigate psychological stress at an early stage.
The brief was authored by our chair members Dorothea Metzen, Paula Blumenschein and Stephan Heinzel and is published as part of the series “Klimaschutz” (10/2025, Series 1).
The full policy ultra-brief is now available to all interested readers at the following website: https://publications.rifs-potsdam.de/rest/items/item_6004771_1/component/file_6004772/content
 

For 6 hours per week, initially limited to 12 months.

The Department of Clinical and Biological Psychology is seeking a Student Research Assistant (SHK) at the earliest possible date. Our research focuses on the psychological dimensions of the climate crisis, specifically the interaction between mental and planetary health. Among other topics, we investigate the role of climate protection behavior, climate-related emotions, and climate-related justifications for inaction.

In the current project, we aim to examine whether specific climate-related justifications for inaction can be systematically countered through an intervention, thereby increasing support for climate policy measures. We are working within an interdisciplinary, Germany-wide research consortium (Research4Change). It is particularly important to us to closely involve student assistants in research processes and to provide them with opportunities to gain hands-on research and collaboration experience, as well as to contribute their own ideas.

Your tasks within the project:

• Literature research
• Piloting of experimental materials
• Recruitment of participants
• Administrative tasks
• Support with data analysis and publication

Your profile:

• Bachelor’s student
• High reliability, motivation, and ability to work independently
• Interest in climate psychology
• Very good English skills
• Enjoyment of teamwork

What we offer:

• Flexible working hours
• Pleasant working environment
• Opportunity to gain practical research experience
• Opportunity to become part of an interdisciplinary research consortium

If you are interested, please send your application documents, including a letter of motivation (preferably as a single document), by July 13, 2025, to Dr. Dorothea Metzen (dorothea.metzen@tu-dortmund.de).

Job Posting Student Research Assistant

We, the undersigned, stand in support of the liberal democratic basic order of the Federal Republic of Germany. We are committed to respect for human dignity, to freedom and equality for all people, and to the protection of minorities. In particular, we advocate for respectful coexistence in a society in which one in five individuals has a family migration background. This is especially important to us, as many of our students have personal or familial migration experiences—or are affected by discrimination or exclusion due to external attributions and prejudice.
We are therefore concerned that, in recent elections in Germany, the AfD has gained support, a party that demonstrably does not share these values. The extent to which parts of the AfD have already distanced themselves from the liberal democratic basic order is outlined in a cross-party motion by 113 members of the Bundestag to initiate proceedings for a ban.[1] It states:
“The dignity of the individual and the prohibition of discrimination are now openly being called into question by the AfD, its leading officials, as well as numerous officeholders and members. According to the will of the AfD, the rights of people with a migration background, people with disabilities, those with non-heteronormative sexual orientations, as well as members of autochthonous national minorities and ethnic groups, are to be restricted or abolished in favor of an ethnically defined nationalist strengthening of a supposed ‘Germanness.’”
The motion also makes clear that, at the federal state level, three party associations and five youth organizations have already been classified by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution as “confirmed right-wing extremist.”
We are disappointed that, in the Bundestag on January 30, 2025, only the possibility of submitting a motion to the Federal Constitutional Court to initiate ban proceedings and determine the unconstitutionality of the AfD was discussed, and that there will likely be no majority for such a motion.
Dortmund, February 4, 2025
Stephan Heinzel, Paula Blumenschein, Dorothea Metzen, and Dagny Giel
[1] Source: dserver.bundestag.de/btd/20/137/2013750.pdf

This year, the Summer School for Sustainability received a teaching award granted by the Department of Higher Education Didactics at the Center for Higher Education.
The summer school is an interdisciplinary and international project involving several faculties of TU Dortmund. Participating institutions included the Faculty of Spatial Planning, Chemistry, Chemical Biology, the Institute of Psychology, and the Sustainability Office (Marvin Maikler, Zeyneb Vildan Cakil, Paula Blumenschein, Victor Cobs-Muñoz, Prof. Stephan Heinzel, Dr. Henning Moldenhauer, Dorothea Metzen, Shober Legesse).
Over the course of one week in August, participants came together in this course to enhance their understanding of sustainability and to develop new competencies related to sustainability in both professional and personal contexts. The program ranged from an analysis of the IPCC report with regard to the Sustainable Development Goals to a dynamic simulation game. In order to enable participants to actively engage in societal and political discourse in the future, the summer school emphasized self-efficacy and active participation.
Further information can be found here.

Under the slogan “menschen. mitwelt. medien.” (People. The World Around Us. Media.), this year’s DGPs and ÖGP congresses were jointly held in Vienna. From September 16–19, the German and Austrian Psychological Societies focused primarily on human experience and behavior in relation to the environment, including social and media contexts. The topics were nevertheless broad and provided insights into numerous areas of contemporary psychological research. In line with our research focus, there were many contributions related to climate psychology this year.
Presentations and discussions took place in the grand halls of the University of Vienna, while an environmental disaster was unfolding in close proximity outside. Our chair was fortunate to have arrived in Vienna in time, while many others were unable to attend due to flooding. As a result, almost all events were held in a hybrid format.
Our working group also presented its own research findings: Prof. Dr. Stephan Heinzel discussed the validation of the German Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale in his talk “From Anxiety to Action?”. Dr. Dorothea Metzen expanded on this topic by shifting the focus to discursive coping strategies. She presented and examined the model of “Discourses of Climate Delay” as a potentially maladaptive way of coping with eco-anxiety. At the same time, Paula Blumenschein presented her poster titled “From Anxiety to Action? – Exploring the Role of Eco-Anxiety for Pro-Environmental Behaviour.”
Furthermore, the role of psychology in the climate crisis and the need for positioning by the DGPs were discussed in presentations and panel discussions. The potential significance of psychology was also emphasized, particularly in contributing to interdisciplinary approaches to the climate crisis by informing how crisis communication can be effectively conducted.

The book „Klimabewegt – die Psychologie von Klimaprotest und Engagement“ has been published by oekom Verlag since April. It can be ordered via the publisher or downloaded free of charge as an open-access PDF: https://www.wandel-werk.org/materialien

As part of her engagement with Wandelwerk e.V., Paula Blumenschein from the Clinical and Biological Psychology group at TU Dortmund contributed to the book as an author.

What is “Klimabewegt” about?
The book demonstrates how, in the face of the climate crisis, we can find and cultivate hope and motivation through collective action. Based on findings from psychological research, it explains how individuals can be motivated to engage in climate protest and action, and how climate groups can act in a resilient, healthy, and effective manner.

Who is the book for?
The book is intended for anyone who seeks to advance socio-ecological transformation: activists, engaged citizens, as well as policymakers, researchers, educators, and interested critics. It is for all those who have or seek the courage to take collective action and who are interested in insights from environmental psychology.

Who are we?
The authors are part of Wandelwerk, a collective of psychologists who are also active in the climate justice movement. We translate insights from psychological research into practical environmental action. Together, we have accumulated over 50 years of experience in activism, protest, and engagement, and work in academia, education for sustainable development, and environmental campaigns (https://www.wandel-werk.org/).