Discussions on climate change and its solutions are often complex and difficult. In his lecture, Milan Vítek, representing the project Fakta o klimatu [Climate Facts], presented the reasons why it is so difficult to find common ground and arrive at constructive results particularly when discussing climate change. He demonstrated the ways in which discussions on climate change may be facilitated and explained what might be helpful when discussing the issue and what to consider if you want to open a discussion on the topic.

A lecture delivered by the COO of the International Sustainable Finance Centre focused on sustainable finance, its definition, development, purpose, and practice in the private sector as well as in policymaking and the public sector. It explained Why (why sustainability in finance is needed), How (how to achieve it), and Who (who are the protagonists in the system of finance and their roles). It also addressed incorporating so-called ESG aspects into the strategies and activities of companies, and how they are reflected by investors when making investment decisions.

We are to blame for the majority of changes negatively impacting our life on Earth, and there is no single miracle technology that can save us. A shift towards sustainable functioning, which could succeed under the new conditions, requires new thinking, new policies and new ethics. What makes the climate a political matter in the proper sense of the word? Which ways might lead to climate neutrality? Why is the question “How much do we value our present compared to our future?” a crucial matter? And what do different people mean when saying “Let’s go back to the (E)arth?”

On 29 November 2022, a total of 210 kg of mixed municipal waste from eight UP faculties, CATRIN, and the Rectorate appeared in the Zbrojnice courtyard. An analysis showed that the University and its students and employees can significantly improve in waste sorting, as 53 % of the analysed sample should have been disposed of in sorted waste. The sample contained 23.4 % of biologically degradable waste. Other prominent components that can be further used after sorting were paper (12.5 %) and plastic (11.1 %). Detailed results for the individual University facilities and the types of waste are presented in the final report. There is also a video documenting the event.

Did climate change cause the fire in the Bohemian Switzerland National Park? Why are coral reefs dying? – There are a lot of half-truths, myths, and emotionally loaded information on the climate and climate change. In order to lead a matter-of-fact, cultivated, and meaningful discussion, it is advisable to build it on scientific facts and verified data. That was the rationale behind the development of the portal Fakta o klimatu [Climate Facts]. In a seminar entitled Climate Change and Ways Towards its Solution, its founder and director Ondráš Přibyla presented ten of the most important insights into the topic of climate change through data and data visualizations.

We are currently conducting a global-scale experiment. Its results are unknown and we will not be able to significantly influence its consequences. We have been changing the climate, which in turn will change our lives. The lecture addresses the link between the environment’s status quo and fundamental ideas regarding the concept of sustainable development, as well as developments in emissions of greenhouse gases (especially carbon dioxide), and the expected consequences of climate change. The most probable scenario for Europe is a warming, but the loss of the Gulf Stream could paradoxically result in a cooling. The lecture briefly outlines the scenarios for life on the planet if it warmed by 1-6 °C.