3 questions for Prof Eckhard Nagel

"Extra courses on climate protection are not the answer"

The climate crisis is increasing health risks such as extreme heat and new diseases. Medical doctor and public health expert Prof Eckhard Nagel is researching how we can better prepare for this. In this interview, he explains why he doesn't think much of extra courses on climate protection and how we should integrate sustainability into our everyday lives instead

Interview: Tilmann Eicke

Eckhard Nagel is Director of the Institute for Medical Management and Health Sciences at the University of Bayreuth. As an expert in sustainability and climate protection in the healthcare sector, he has been a WeACT Con partner from the very beginning.

Eckhard Nagel: Current surveys show that climate protection is becoming less important to many people - even though droughts, floods and forest fires are on the increase. A few years ago, this issue was still a top priority. This change makes our work more difficult, which consists of preparing people for the personal consequences of climate change.

Many people currently seem to be hoping: The cup will pass us by. Unfortunately, my generation in particular, which currently holds key positions of responsibility in business, politics and society, thinks this way.

The issue of heat shows that things can be done differently. We have made amazing progress in this field in the last two years. We have raised awareness of the issue with well-coordinated campaigns. In many cities and municipalities, politicians and administrators are currently drawing up heat protection plans with the support of scientists. It has helped that everyone can visualise the issue of heat: When it's very hot, people don't want to go outside, find it harder to concentrate and are very thirsty. However, it remains a challenge to transfer the sensitivity gained in relation to heat to the area of climate protection.

We have learnt that we need to integrate the topic of sustainability into our everyday lives in a different way than we have done in the past. In recent years, we have offered many extra courses on sustainability and climate protection at schools, universities and training centres. This is a step in the right direction. However, it means that many people do not perceive these topics as an everyday part of their own lives, but as separate from them. Extra courses on climate protection are therefore not the solution.

A recent research paper that won the German Study Award makes a better suggestion. The author, Stephan Nagel, analyses how the topic of sustainability can be integrated into vocational training. One example he cites is compressed air lines, which are used in many companies. Normally, trainees are taught that these lines must be maintained because otherwise their functionality is limited or unnecessary costs are incurred. But you could also tell them: if you repair a three millimetre leak, you will avoid more CO2 emissions in a year than the average person in Germany produces in a year.

This is a good example of how sustainability and climate protection can be integrated into our everyday lives in a different way than by constantly reporting new disasters. Sustainability should be linked to the concrete experience that each and every individual can make a difference. Then standing up for sustainability is fun and feels good.

Prof. Dr. mult. Eckhard Nagel is a transplant surgeon and Professor of Medical Management and Health Sciences at the University of Bayreuth, where he initiated the " Environment, Climate change, and Health" M.S. programme. He is currently responsible for setting up the Medical University of Lausitz. At WeACT Con 2025, he will give a presentation on the importance of climate protection in the German healthcare sector.