Leading scholar of global sustainability governance Professor Frank Biermann to present talk on planetary politics at 47th TB Macaulay Lecture
Professor Frank Biermann, one of the world’s foremost scholars of global sustainability governance, is set to deliver a talk at the 47th TB Macaulay Lecture introducing a new framework for understanding politics in the modern age: planetary politics.
Hosted by the Macaulay Development Trust in partnership with The James Hutton Institute, the TB Macaulay Lecture aims to connect scientific evidence with civic society on the big issues affecting our land and people and specifically to reach those who influence and make decisions on policy.
This year’s speaker, Professor Biermann, is the founder and first chair of the Global Earth System Governance research alliance – a network focused on advancing knowledge at the intersection of global environmental change and governance. Since its launch twenty years ago, the initiative has grown to include more than 600 researchers from around the world. It hosts major annual conferences, supports book series with MIT Press and Cambridge University Press, publishes a high-ranking academic journal and coordinates influential international research initiatives. In 2024, Professor Biermann became the first political scientist to receive the prestigious Volvo Environment Prize for his work “defining new pathways for international environmental governance in a period of global change”.
Through his lecture, the scholar will explore how accelerating climate impacts, geopolitical tensions, democratic backsliding and persistent inequalities have rendered traditional approaches to environmental governance insufficient.
He will outline how planetary politics offers a fresh perspective for understanding and navigating the profound transformations shaping our future, and how plurilateral coalitions of like-minded countries can succeed in a world where global consensus is out of reach.
The talk will also highlight Professor Biermann’s extensive research on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a specific focus on the critical period leading to 2030, when the current framework expires and new global goals must be negotiated.
Attendees can expect:
- A timely look at what’s at stake as the world approaches the 2030 SDG milestone
- A compelling introduction to the emerging concept of planetary politics
- Big‑picture insights combined with recent empirical research
- Reflections on the future of global sustainability governance
All are welcome to attend this lecture, which will take place at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh on October 21st. The event will begin at 6:30pm with a pre-lecture exhibition, followed by the lecture at 7:30pm and a post-lecture reception at 9pm.
Hutton CEO Professor Colin Campbell said, “We are delighted Professor Biermann is giving the 47th TB Macaulay Lecture on this topic as there is such a need for new thinking on planetary governance to reset and gear up our drive for sustainability.”
Joe Moore, Chair of the Macaulay Development Trust, added, “I look forward to Professor Biermann’s address with great anticipation.
“Given that global consensus appears even more unachievable with every passing day, what alternatives might deliver a meaningful response to the climate crisis?”
Tickets for the lecture can be purchased through Eventbrite. Numbers are limited, so order quickly to secure a space.
