About us

Apl. Prof. Nadja Hellmann

Coordination

It is the responsibility of society as a whole to minimise the climate changes that lie ahead. To this end, decision-makers must demonstrate greater political will and citizens must be more accepting of the consequences. Scientists can contribute to this by preparing and disseminating information and by repeatedly pointing out the need for action. That is why I am involved with Scientists for Future.

Department: Chemistry (JGU Mainz)

Apl. Prof. Doris Vollmer

Coordination, Event Planning

Although I am a physicist, it was my son who first made me aware of the consequences of the increasing CO₂ levels in the atmosphere for life on Earth. The survival of millions/billions of people is at stake. That is why it is so important to me to inform people. As a physicist, I am also aware that nature will not negotiate with us. We must and can act! Let’s seize this opportunity.

Field: Interfacial physics (MPI for Polymer Research)
Specialisation: Coatings

Dr. Roland Jan-Reiner Bednarz

Coordination, representative of the For Future movement in the Mainz Climate Protection Advisory Council

The climate crisis is life-threatening! Nevertheless, politicians still tend to listen to the advice of interest-driven lobbyists rather than scientific findings. Greenhouse gas emissions, including those from green hydrogen, are the main problem! Forests in Germany are no longer CO₂ sinks, but rather a source of CO₂. Warning lights ON! That’s why I am actively involved with Scientists for Future and, until recently, as part of my research on organic electrosynthesis, working as part of a team to develop, evaluate and present solutions. I hope that this will enable us to show people new perspectives and give them hope. Join us in raising our voices and spreading the word about the opportunities offered by climate protection and climate change adaptation!

Department: Chemistry (JGU Mainz)
Specialisation: Electrosynthesis

Werner Braun

Transport revolution (e.g. adult education centre lecture, evaluation of election manifestos)

In 2019, the For Future movements opened my eyes to the urgency of changing our way of life. Greenhouse gases from fossil fuels must be stopped as quickly as possible. So I completely stopped flying on holiday in 2019 and (as I always have) preferred public transport to car travel in the Rhine-Main area. However, more important than personal consequences is the conviction of all citizens that change is necessary. As a graduate mathematician, I became a member of Scientists and am involved, for example, in developing questions for Science-O-Mat, an election decision-making aid comparable to Wahl-O-Mat. As an electronic reader of the Mainzer Allgemeine Zeitung and the Wiesbadener Kurier, I keep an eye out for articles relevant to Scientists.

Dr. Anselm Esser

Website

My children will not even be 80 years old in 2100. The scenarios predicted for this time are terrifying. That’s why we must manage to avert the worst consequences of the climate catastrophe. There is no second chance.

Department: Nuclear Physics (JGU Mainz)
Specialization: Electron scattering

Timo Graffe

Zukunftsmodul, Project coordination

The climate crisis threatens our human existence. The good news is that it is not too late and each of us has the opportunity to contribute to the transformation of society. We live in such a privileged world that everyone can start right now! An education system that empowers people to become change agents plays a key role in this and can have a major impact as a social tipping point. With the future module, I am trying to make a contribution to this and thus turn our university into a real laboratory for a sustainable future. Such a transformation can only take place cooperatively, which is why working in groups such as Scientists for Future is extremely important.

Department: Institute of Physics (JGU Mainz)
Specialization: Physics didactics

Research details: Education for Sustainable Development, Climate Literacy

Dipl.-Ing. Martin Hahn

Expansion of solar power

When I looked at the development curves of our planet’s CO₂ content in 2019 and realized that a gigantic control loop is on its way to disaster, I had to take action. There is absolutely no more time to lose, but most people still don’t get it, which shocks me deeply. We should have strengthened renewable energies many times over a long time ago, now we need far more speed …

Employer: DB Systel GmbH
Specialization: Senior Data Engineer (Renewable Energy)

Leonie Jungen

 

During my participation in an international, interdisciplinary project on the “Year Without a Summer”, working with students and researchers from other scientific fields made me realize how drastic the effects of climate catastrophes on society as a whole have already been in the past and how urgently we need to act now – together. As a literary scholar, I therefore see it as my duty to bring the climate debate more into the literary and cultural scene.

Department: English and Linguistics (JGU Mainz)
Specialization: Scottish Literature and Culture

Research details: National identity, narratology, gender studies

Benjamin D. Kraff

Urban development working group Mainz

The scientific need to slow down climate change has been known for decades. Nevertheless, policy-makers are largely focused on short-term goals, which exacerbates the need for long-term action. I am involved with Scientists4Future to create a bridge between scientific facts and societal needs and to promote exchange for a rapid socio-technical transformation that takes all interests into account. Social justice must be ensured not only between current population groups, but also between groups of different generations.

Department: Spatial and Infrastructure Planning (TU Darmstadt)
Specialization: Sustainable urban development

Research details: In my research, I deal with concepts for the urban transformation of the mobility sector. The focus here is on the strategic combination of environmental policy instruments that take social and technical aspects into account and thus enable a mobility transition that is as conflict-free as possible.

Dr. Frank Schmidt

Website

The problems posed by the climate crisis have been known for decades, yet large sections of the population and politicians are still not taking decisive enough action. I often get the feeling that many people are not even aware of what is at stake and instead perceive the climate crisis as an abstract danger in the distant future, even though clear effects such as tree dieback can already be seen with the naked eye when walking in the forest. As a scientist, I know that we cannot negotiate with physics, which is why I want to inform people and initiate change.

Department: Institute of Physics (JGU Mainz)

Isabell Zipperle

It depends on all of us. Private consumption accounts for a significant proportion of our annual CO₂ emissions. As a behavioural economist, one of the questions I deal with is how environmental behaviour develops and how it can be influenced. I also want to contribute to this with my work at Scientists for Future. Because one thing is clear: we can only stop climate change together.

Field of study: Economics (JGU Mainz)
Specialisation: Environmental behaviour

Dr. Moritz Mann

Treasurer

The political measures taken so far to avert the climate crisis are far from sufficient, and the government’s future climate policy targets are too low. I think that experts in particular should be more visible in public and provide more information in order to support the FFF movement and motivate politicians and society to take action.

Field of study: Chemistry (JGU Mainz)
Specialisation: Chemical analysis of atmospheric aerosol particles and trace gases/electrosynthesis

Vivien Voigt

Participation in the climate pub quiz

We live in a time when it is more convenient and often cheaper to buy something new instead of repairing the old. As an economist, this should make me happy, after all it boosts our economic systems, but instead my alarm bells are ringing. Faster and faster, further and further, better and better, newer and newer, and above all more and more and more at all times and immediately. But where do we get our Planet B from if Planet A can no longer meet these consumer demands? I am firmly convinced that the more we need in order to preserve a home for future generations is something completely different: more cohesion, more commitment, more cooperation, more education and more constructive criticism, because we can only change course if we work hand in hand.

Department: Economics (JGU Mainz)

Niklas Litzenberger

Protocol

One year after the Paris climate agreement, I was so disappointed with the government that I couldn’t help but get involved in climate protection. If they don’t take care of it, then we’ll do it ourselves!

Department: Institute of Physics (JGU Mainz)
Specialization: Physics didactics

Research details: Development of a new research method for measuring dynamic interactions in physics lessons

Dr. med. habil. Detlev Jung

The crises to be expected as a result of climate change will not so much affect today’s decision-makers as future generations (including my children and grandchildren) and are likely to have a massive impact. However, the necessary decisions to minimize these effects must be taken now and the necessary measures must be introduced now. In addition to the original toxicological and immunological issues, my scientific work has always focused on the psychological constitution of human beings and the question of when and under what circumstances they are prepared to take responsibility. This question is just as relevant in the field of climate policy as it is in the field of work. The fact that and why the assumption of responsibility has been completely inadequate at all levels for decades, despite recognition of the necessity, must be analyzed and taken into account in further political action.

Department: Institute for Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine (retired)

Dr. Katharina Truschinski

Climate crisis and health

We are facing a planetary emergency: the climate crisis and global warming are the greatest health threats of our time. Climate protection is not an end in itself, but essential for our health, our livelihoods and our survival. As an emergency doctor, I am used to acting quickly and solution-oriented in critical situations to avert damage. Similarly, politicians must push ahead with the energy, mobility and food transition as quickly as possible and create framework conditions that make climate protection simple, affordable and feasible. Instead, Germany spends 80 billion euros a year on oil and gas from abroad, plus over 40 billion euros in fossil fuel subsidies that further fuel global warming. The situation is grotesque: no one in emergency medicine would run over a seriously injured patient with an ambulance again before treating them. Why are we doing this to our planet, the only place we have to live? As a doctor, I see it as my duty to raise awareness of the health risks posed by the climate crisis. Despite overwhelming scientific evidence, many people still do not realise that the consequences will have a massive impact on us during our own lifetime – here in Germany too. Politicians continue to ignore the clear guidelines issued by the Federal Constitutional Court in 2021. It is now our responsibility as citizens to actively demand climate protection. Because our health and our future must not be recklessly gambled away!

Department: Anaesthesia and Emergency Medicine (Mainz University Medical Centre)