DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17699305
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Scien is s Responsibili y Summi
Posi ion Pape
The aim o his pape is o a icula e how he cu en h ea s o academic eedom and
he social and poli ical challenges o he ecological c isis a e in insically in e wined.
The e o e, we a gue, academics and academic ins i u ions need o ac wi h bo h
dimensions o he c isis o democ acy in mind. We p opose a lis o demands o ha
end. I is no exhaus i e bu illus a es guiding p inciples pe mea ing academic
esea ch, eaching and ou each. The de ense o democ a ic alues is a hei co e
and should s ee hei in e p e a ion and applica ion.
In he ace o a acks on uni e si y au onomy, academic eedom and s uden s’ igh s, as well as
a global end o democ a ic backsliding and he clima e eme gency, ins i u ional silence is
complici y. Academic eedom, unde s ood as he eedom o uni e si y s a o exp ess ideas
wi hou isking ep ession, and uni e si y au onomy a e no luxu ies— hey a e co e pilla s o open
and democ a ic socie ies. Unde in e na ional human igh s law, s a es a e obliga ed o ensu e
academic eedom and uni e si y au onomy, bo h o which a e also p o ec ed by he Ge man
cons i u ion. They a e essen ial condi ions o scien i ic inqui y, he ee pu sui o knowledge and
he eby cen al o socie al p og ess and ans o ma ion.
Ye while academic eedom and uni e si y au onomy a e mo e essen ial han e e , hey a e
inc easingly h ea ened. Academia is no a e y agile appa a us. An o e ly igid unde s anding o
neu ali y in educa ion and esea ch hinde s cohesion and he impo an wo k o ins i u ional
posi ioning. While igh -wing ac o s along wi h neo ascis pa ies and mo emen s a e wo king o
unde mine public ins i u ions and he law, uni e si ies mus de end hese decisi ely. In pa icula ,
he connec ion be ween ossil indus ies, digi al ascism and igh -wing poli ics and hei impac
on he clima e c isis a e no acknowledged and coun e ed as hey should, e en wi hin academic
ins i u ions. All highe educa ion ins i u ions need o ho oughly in es iga e and end hei
complici y in ecological des uc ion and human igh s iola ions, including he genocide, ecocide
and scholas icide in Gaza.
Uni e si ies ha e s ongly adop ed he he o ic o indi idual esponsibili y in he clima e c isis and
pay oo li le a en ion o hei own u he ing o he clima e ca as ophe. Coope a ion wi h
companies ha a e in ol ed in ecological c imes and human igh s iola ions encou ages bla an
a oidance o esponsibili y. The impo ance o clima e and en i onmen al educa ion along wi h
media educa ion should be ampli ied and included in educa ional amewo ks based on c i ical
pedagogy and he ad ancemen o p ac ical skills.
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By acknowledging hei undamen al ole as pilla s o democ a ic socie ies, academic ins i u ions
ecognize hei abili y o shi na a i es, esponsibili y o acili a e alliances be ween schola ship
and he ci il socie ies, and capaci y o ul ima ely c ea e o he new spaces.
We demand ha democ a ic s uc u es be clea ly de ended in and by
academic ins i u ions:
• Ins i u ionalize academic eedom as a co e go e ning p inciple: Embed academic
eedom and uni e si y au onomy in s a u es, unding c i e ia, and in e na ional
pa ne ships. Suppo schola s and s uden s a isk.
• Re use complici y wi h au ho i a ian egimes: Conduc ho ough isk assessmen s and
ejec in e na ional esea ch o eaching pa ne ships ha po en ially comp omise
academic eedom, uni e si y au onomy o s uden s’ igh s.
• Re use complici y wi h ex ac i e, ossil and a mamen s indus ies as well as in o ma ion
echnology monopolies.
• Academics and scien is s who ake a s and a e publicly a acked. The e needs o be mo e
awa eness o his and a call o add ess he uni e si y’s ole in he cu en ise o
au ho i a ianism.
• Push back agains poli ical in e e ence in s uden and schola ly ac i ism ha uses he
na a i e o “secu i y conce ns” o misuses secu i y appa a uses. Resis he no maliza ion
o police p esence, su eillance, and uni e si y-backed disciplina y measu es agains
s uden and schola ly ac i ism. Do no coope a e wi h secu i y se ices and law
en o cemen when hey a ge s uden s o schola s o hei democ a ic poli ical s ance.
• Speak ou on human igh s abuses, a acks on academic eedom and uni e si y
au onomy, and democ a ic e osion. Coo dina e wi h academic associa ions, unions as
well as wi h local, na ional and Eu opean ep esen a i es.
• Uni e si y leade ship pla o ms (HRK and LRKs), academies o sciences (Leopoldina) and
esea ch ins i u e ne wo ks (Helmhol z, Leibniz, Max-Planck) need o s ep up hei e o s
o de end and p o ec academic eedom, uni e si y au onomy and democ acy.
We demand ha academic s uc u es be s eng hened and ans o med o
add ess cu en challenges:
• Sa egua d he in eg i y o esea ch unding: De end unding decisions ha unde go a pee -
e iew p ocess and igh back agains he inc easing ole o hi d-pa y esea ch unding.
Resis he o ced economiza ion o esea ch by ad oca ing o adequa e, s able and long-
e m basic unding o uni e si ies.
• Push back agains a acks a ge ing pa icula ly ulne able disciplines and schola s:
gende s udies, pos colonial s udies, sociology, poli ical science, egional s udies, clima e
esea ch and mo e. Uni e si ies should esis calls o cancel s udy p og ams in hese
ields, s ongly de end hese disciplines and explici ly, publicly s and in solida i y wi h all
ins i u ions ha a e unde p essu e.
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• Inc ease ecogni ion o public ou each in academic ca ee s, c ea e s uc u es o suppo
and dissemina ion ha encou age public schola ship (w i ing op-eds, gi ing in e iews,
joining public deba es).
• Build discou se coali ions wi h ep esen a i es o social mo emen s, unions, and
ep esen a i es o ma ginalized and ulne able communi ies. Coo dina e wi h hem and
join hem in e o s o igh mis ep esen a ions o ac i ism and ad ocacy.
• Fos e a cul u e o ac -checking. Collec i ize he knowledge on ecological decline and
al e na i e de elopmen pa hs in social spaces whe e he public and academics can mee .
• Figh censo ship and sel -censo ship: Oppose poli ical, pee o adminis a i e in e e ence
in esea ch agendas, eaching and e en s o ganized by s uden s and schola s. Ins ead
encou age esea ch s a and s uden s o o ganize deba es and e en s on con en ious
issues and especially on opics o academic eedom and uni e si y au onomy.
• Resis da a colonialism and da a ex ac i ism. Build independen and communi a ian
in as uc u es and media en i onmen s beyond he ech-oliga chy.
• Nou ish an open esea ch en i onmen wi h open sou ce, open da a and open access as
key p inciples. Sa egua d an open publishing ecosys em ha elies on esea ch quali y
and no es ed in e es s o academic publishe s; gua an ee he bes possible access o
he bes possible esea ch.
• S op no malizing unsus ainable li es yles, wo k p ac ices and ha m ul assump ions o
domina ion, a ionali y and ins umen ali y. Emphasize well-being and needs in social
imagina ion. S op side-lining T adi ional Ecological Knowledge.
• Adjus cu icula o accoun o ou cu en s a e o ecological knowledge and ecological
eme gency: Emphasize clima e science, clima e jus ice, human igh s and he ecological
and ma e ial in e wea ings in all disciplines.
We demand conc e e measu es o suppo s uden ini ia i es:
• Suppo s uden ac i ism h ough educa ional engagemen : O ganize each-ins a s uden
p o es s o p o ide con ex and os e in o med dialogue. De end s uden s’ igh o p o es
and o c i ique go e nmen and uni e si y policies.
• Cen e eaching and lea ning a ound s uden s’ needs and au onomy, a he han labo
ma ke s and academic compe i ion.
• Co-con ene e en s be ween s uden ini ia i es and acul y.
• P o ide legal p o ec ions o s uden p o es and exp ession.
• Encou age s uden s o demand obse able esponses om hei eache s and
depa men s on he issues p esen ed in his pape ; suppo ini ia i es o implemen
clima e- ela ed cou ses in all disciplines.
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17699305
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Ini ial Signa o ies
P o . D . Anne Baillo
D . S e an Bäumli
D . Gudula F ieling
P o . D . Niko F oi zheim
Jun.-P o . D . Ma hias G o kopp
P o . D . Rasmus Ho mann
D . Leona do Jos
P o . D . Max Koch
Joachim Mie usch
P o . D . Ilona O o
Luis Pauly, M.Sc
D . Nicolas Roy
D . Ilyas Saliba
Lau a S alenhoe , M.Sc.
D . Fabian J.E. Telschow
D . Rowena Ve s
