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Recent publications and presentations

Please find below our most recent publications and related outreach activities, including academic and popular science articles, book chapters, policy briefs, project reports, videos and presentations for policymakers, academics and the public. For information on our vision, research, education and networking activities, please see related webpages.

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Academic articles on inner-outer transformation

Recent research highlights

Ives, C., Schäpke, N., Woiwode, C., Wamsler, C. (2023) IMAGINE sustainability: Integrated inner-outer transformation in research, education and practice, Sustainability Science (Online). (First academic article summarising the key characteristics of the emerging domain of inner transformation for sustainability in research, education and practice to clarify misconceptions and guide related work. Related popular news article here)
Wamsler, C., Osberg, G., Osika, W., Hendersson, H., Mundaca, L. (2021) Linking internal and external transformation for sustainability and climate action: Towards a new research and policy agenda, Global Environmental Change, 71:102373. Online. (First systematic literature review in the field of inner-outer transformation, cited in the 2022 IPCC report, and highlighted by different newspaper articles)
Wamsler, C., Mulligan, J., Bukachi, V., Mumbi, C. (2022) Activating transformation: Integrating interior dimensions of climate change in adaptation planning, Climate and Development. Online. (Highlighted by Nature Climate Change as 'Research Highlight')
Wamsler, C., Bristow, J. (2022) At the intersection of mind and climate change: Integrating inner dimensions of climate change into policymaking and practice, Climatic Change, 173(7). Online. (First systematic analysis of the mind-sustainability nexus. Taken up by Mind&Life in their Insights project)
Wamsler, C., Osberg, G., Panagiotou, A., Smith, B., Stanbridge, P., Osika, W., Mundaca, L. (2022) Meaning-making in a context of climate change: Supporting agency and political engagement, Climate Policy. Online. (First climate study using SenseMaker methodology)
For research highlights regarding the link between sustainability, mindfulness and compassion, please see below under separate heading.

Selected publications in chronological order

Wamsler, C., Osberg, G., Janss, J., Stephan, L. (2024) Revolutionising sustainability leadership and education: Addressing the human dimension to support flourishing, culture and system transformation. Climatic Change 177, 4 (2024). Online.
Osberg, G., M. Islar, Wamsler, C. (2024) Toward a post-carbon society: Supporting agency for collaborative climate action. Ecology and Society 29(1):16. Online.
Ives, C., Schäpke, N., Woiwode, C., Wamsler, C. (2023) IMAGINE sustainability: Integrated inner-outer transformation in research, education and practice, Sustainability Science (Online).
Parodi, O., Wamsler, C., Dusseldorp, M. (2023) Personal Sustainability (2023), in: Handbook Transdisciplinary Learning, Higher Education: University Teaching & Research, Volume 6, pp.277-286, Philipp, T., Schmohl, T. (Eds.), transcript publishing house. Online.
Ramstetter, L., Rupprecht, S., Mundaca, L., Klackl, J., Osika, W., Stenfors, C., Wamsler, C. (2023) Fostering collective climate action and leadership: Insights from a pilot experiment involving mindfulness and compassion, iScience 26(3):106191. Online.
Mar, K., Schäpke, N., Fraude, C., Bruhn, T., Wamsler, C., Stasiak, D., Schroeder, H., Lawrence, M. (2023) Learning and community building in support of collective action: Toward a new climate of communication at the COP, WIREs Climate Change. Online.
Pöllänen, E., Walter, O.; Bojner Horwitz, E.; Wamsler, C. (2023) Education for sustainability: Understanding processes of change across individual, collective and systems levels, Challenges 14(1):5. Online.
Wamsler, C., Bristow, J. (2022) At the intersection of mind and climate change: Integrating inner dimensions of climate change into policymaking and practice, Climatic Change, 173(7). Online. To access to the revised figure, click here.
Wamsler, C., Osberg, G., Panagiotou, A., Smith, B., Stanbridge, P., Osika, W., Mundaca, L. (2022) Meaning-making in a context of climate change: Supporting agency and political engagement, Climate Policy. Online.
Wamsler, C., Mulligan, J., Bukachi, V., Mumbi, C. (2022) Activating transformation: Integrating interior dimensions of climate change in adaptation planning, Climate and Development. Online.
Wamsler, C., Osberg, G. (2022) Transformative climate policy mainstreaming - Engaging the political and the personal, Global Sustainability 5, E13. Online.
Wamsler, C., Mundaca, L., Osberg, G. (2022) Rethinking political agency: The role of individuals' engagement, perceptions and trust in transitioning to a low-carbon transport system, Cleaner Production, 360:132197. Online.
Böhme, J., Walsh, Z. & Wamsler, C. (2022) Sustainable lifestyles: towards a relational approach. Sustainability Science. Online.
Wamsler, C., Hertog, I., Di Paola, L. (2022) Education for sustainability: Sourcing inner qualities and capacities for transformation. In: Revolutionizing sustainability education: Stories and tools of mindset transformation, Ivanova E., Rimanoczy (Eds.), pp. 49-62, Routledge. See here.
Wamsler, C., Osberg, G., Osika, W., Hendersson, H., Mundaca, L. (2021) Linking internal and external transformation for sustainability and climate action: Towards a new research and policy agenda, Global Environmental Change, 71:102373. Online. For a popular science summary, please see here. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Woiwode C., Schäpke N., Bina O., Veciana S., Kunze I., Parodi O., Schweizer-Ries P., Wamsler C. (2021) Inner transformation to sustainability as a deep leverage point: fostering new avenues for change through dialogue and reflection, Sustainability Science, 16(3):841-858. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Fraude, C., Bruhn, T., Stasiak, D., Wamsler, C., Mar, K. A., Schäpke, N., Schroeder, H., Lawrence, M. G. (2021) Creating space for reflection and dialogue: Examples of new modes of communication for empowering climate action, GAIA - Ecological Perspectives for Science and Society, 30(3):174-180. Online.
Wamsler C., Schäpke N., Fraude C., Stasiak D., Bruhn T., Lawrence M., Schroeder H., Mundaca L. (2020) Enabling new mindsets and transformative skills for negotiating and activating climate action: Lessons from UNFCCC conferences of the parties, Environmental Science and Policy, 112:227-235. Online
Wamsler C. (2020) Education for sustainability: Fostering a more conscious society and transformation towards sustainability, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education 21(1):112-130. Online.
Walsh Z., Böhme J., Wamsler C. (2020) Towards a relational paradigm in sustainability research, practice and education, Ambio 50:74–84. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)

Wamsler C., Reeder L., Crosweller M. (2020) The being of urban resilience. In: Handbook of Urban Resilience, Burayidi, M., Allen, A., Twigg, J., Wamsler, C. (Eds.), pp. 47-58, Routledge. Online. Also available here. (Book highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Walsh, Z., Böhme, J., Lavelle, B. D and Wamsler, C. (2020) Transformative education: towards a relational, justice-oriented approach to sustainability, International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 21(7):1587-1606. Online.
Hendersson, H. and Wamsler, C. (2020) New stories for a more conscious, sustainable society: Claiming authorship of the climate story, Climatic Change, 158(3):345-359. Online.
Wamsler, C., et al., 2020: Environmental and climate policy integration: targeted strategies for overcoming barriers to nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation, Journal of Cleaner Production, 247, 119154. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Brink, E. and Wamsler, C. (2019) Citizen engagement in climate adaptation surveyed: The role of values, worldviews, gender and place. Journal of Cleaner Production, 209:1342-1353. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Brossmann, J. Islar, M. (2019) Living degrowth? Investigating degrowth practices through performative methods, Sustainability Science 15:917–930. Online.
Wamsler, C. (2019) The role of individual inner dimensions and transformation in sustainability research and education. In: Sustainability and the Humanities, pp. 359-373, Leal Filho, W. and McCrea, A. C. (Eds), Springer. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Wamsler, C., et al. (2019) Beyond participation: when citizen engagement leads to undesirable outcomes for nature-based solutions and climate change adaptation, Climatic Change, 158(2):235–254. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Wamsler, C. (2018) Mind the gap: The role of mindfulness in adapting to increasing risk and climate change. Sustainability Science, 13(4):1121-1135. Online.
Wamsler, C., Brink, E. (2018) Mindsets for sustainability: Exploring the link between mindfulness and sustainable climate adaptation, Ecological Economics, 151:55-61. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
Wamsler, C., Brossmann, J., Hendersson, H., Kristjansdottir, R., McDonald, C. and Scarampi, P. (2018) Mindfulness in sustainability science, practice, and teaching, Sustainability Science, 13(1):143-162. Online.
Wamsler, C. and S. Raggers (2018) Principles for supporting city–citizen commoning for climate adaptation: From adaptation governance to sustainable transformation, Environmental Science and Policy, 85, 81–89. Online. (Highlighted in 2022 IPCC reports)
For further publications related to climate policy integration, climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction and citizen participation, that were highlighted in recent IPCCC reports, please see here (bottom of page).

Publications on mindfulness, compassion & emotional intelligence

Wamsler C. (2023) Exploring the role of compassion for sustainability, description of the Policy Cluster on Compassion, Sustainability and Climate Change of the Global Compassion Coalition, chaired by C. Wamsler. See the general cluster webpage, the online cluster description and the cluster members.
Wamsler, C. (2023) What our inner lives have to do with the climate crisis ('Vad våra inre liv har med klimatkrisen att göra’), Journal of Social Medicine ('Socialmedicinsk tidscrift'), special issue on inner and outer sustainability (’Inre och yttre hållbarhet’), 100(3):499-508. Online. Full special issue available here; and editorial here.
Wamsler, C. (2022/2023) Sustainability is about relationships, extrakt (2022). Online. The Swedish version of this popular science article can be accessed here.
Ramstetter, L., Rupprecht, S., Mundaca, L., Klackl, J., Osika, W., Stenfors, C., Wamsler, C. (2023) Fostering collective climate action and leadership: Insights from a pilot experiment involving mindfulness and compassion, iScience 26(3):106191. Online.
Wamsler, C. (2022) What the mind has to do with the climate crisis, Essay written for the Mind&Life 35th anniversary, Mind&Life. Online. See also related online Figure and Table.
Wamsler, C. (2022) Climate and Mind: Mindfulness and compassion as pathways to a more sustainable future. One Earth Sangha. Reprint with permission from the Mind&Life Institute. Online.
See Section 3 of: Wamsler, C., Osberg, G., Osika, W., Hendersson, H., Mundaca, L. (2021) Linking internal and external transformation for sustainability and climate action: Towards a new research and policy agenda, Global Environmental Change, 71:102373. Online.
Wamsler C., Restoy, F. (2020) Emotional Intelligence and the Sustainable Development Goals: Supporting peaceful, just and inclusive societies. In: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, pp.1-11, Leal Filho, W., Azul, L., Brandli, P., Özuyar, G. and Wall, T. (Eds.). Springer. Online.
Frank, P., Fischer, D. and Wamsler, C. (2019) Mindfulness, Education, and the Sustainable Development Goals. In: Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Quality Education, Leal Filho, W., Azul, L., Brandli, P., Özuyar, G. and Wall, T. (Eds), Springer. Online.
Wamsler, C. (2018) Mind the gap: The role of mindfulness in adapting to increasing risk and climate change. Sustainability Science, 13(4):1121-1135. Online.
Wamsler, C., Brink, E. (2018) Mindsets for sustainability: Exploring the link between mindfulness and sustainable climate adaptation, Ecological Economics, 151:55-61. Online.
Wamsler, C., Brossmann, J., Hendersson, H., Kristjansdottir, R., McDonald, C. and Scarampi, P. (2018) Mindfulness in sustainability science, practice, and teaching, Sustainability Science, 13(1):143-162. Online.
Wamsler, C. (2017) How mindfulness can help the shift towards a more sustainable society, The Conversation. Online.
See also below under policy reports & popular science articles.

Policy reports & popular science articles on inner-outer transformation

Janss, J., Wamsler, C., Smith, A., Stephan, L. (2023). The human dimension of the Green Deal: How to overcome polarisation and facilitate culture and system change. Published by the Inner Green Deal gGmbH, Cologne, Germany, and Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund, Sweden. Online.
Rupprecht, S., Wamsler, C. (2023) The Global Leadership for Sustainable Development (GLSD) programme: Inner development for accelerating action towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Evaluation report written for the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) Initiative and the Templeton World Charity Foundation. Published by the Inner Green Deal and Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund, Sweden. Online.
Wamsler, C., Janss, J., Bell, R. (2023) Evaluation summary of the Global Leadership for Sustainable Development (GLSD) programme: An Inner Development Goals (IDGs) Initiative funded by the Templeton World Charity Foundation. Published by the Inner Green Deal and Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), Lund, Sweden. Online.
Wamsler C., Bristow J., Cooper K., Steidle G., Taggart S., Søvold L., Bockler J., Oliver T.H., Legrand T. (2022). Theoretical foundations report: Research and evidence for the potential of consciousness approaches and practices to unlock sustainability and systems transformation. Report of the UNDP Conscious Food Systems Alliance (CoFSA), United Nations Development Programme UNDP. Online.
Bristow, J., Bell, R., Wamsler, C. (2022) Reconnection – Meeting the climate crisis inside-out, policy report, The Mindfulness Initiative & LUCSUS. Online. See also here.
Legrand, T., Jervoise, A., Wamsler, C., Dufour, C., Bristow, J., Bockler, J., Cooper, K., Corção, T., Negowetti, N., Oliver, T., Schwartz, A., Steidle, G., Taggart, S., Søvold, L., Wright, J. (2022). Cultivating inner capacities for regenerative food systems: Rationale for action. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Online.
Wamsler, C. (2022) What the mind has to do with the climate crisis, Essay written for the Mind&Life 35th anniversary, Mind&Life. Online. See also related online Figure and Table.
Wamsler, C. (2022/2023) Sustainability is about relationships, extrakt (2022). Online.
Wamsler, C. (2022) Forschung Neu: Innere Dimension der Nachhaltigkeit ('Innovative research: The inner dimension of sustainability'), Lampert Magazine, 2022. Online.
Osberg, G., Wamsler, C. (2022). BeChange sustainability education and leadership development: Assessing the links between inner development and outer change for transformation. Working paper, LUCSUS. doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/5G78S. Online.
Medium article (2022) titled 'How to leave the Anthropocene — Fostering sustainability requires us to challenge our stories and paradigms'. Online.
Medium article (2022) titled 'It’s one story — Reconnecting to meet social and climate crises'. Online.
Medium article (2021) titled 'What story do you want to live?' Online
IASS Policy Brief 5/2021 titled 'Fostering reflection, dialogue and collaboration among actors at the UN Climate Change Conferences'. Authors: Mar, K.A., Fraude, C., Bruhn, T., Schäpke, N., Stasiak, D., Schröder, H., Wamsler, C., Lawrence, M. Online.
Medium article (2021) titled 'The being of change: Why our minds matter for sustainability'. Online.
Wamsler, C., Osberg, G., Mundaca, L. (2021) My Malmö - Climate visions for transforming the future, policy report, LUCSUS & Malmö City.
Article in The Conversation titled 'How mindfulness can help the shift towards a more sustainable society'. Online.
PreventionWeb news on 'How mindfulness can help the shift towards a more sustainable society'– The knowledge platform for disaster risk reduction. Online.
Other recent articles featuring the research of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program in English, e.g. in BBC Radio (Thought for the Day 06/05/2022), The Guardian, Open Democracy and different LUCSUS news articles on: our Reconnection report, Sustainability Mindsets, ongoing research and education, life-long learning and transformation, and mindfulness.

German articles

Articles featuring the research of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program in German, for instance in the Lampert Magazine, and Moment-by-Moment.

Swedish articles

Swedish Articles featuring the research of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program in Swedish, for instance the front-page story and article in Svenska Dagbladet, articles in Arbetsterapeuten, extrakt, the Swedish National News SVT, Chef.se, Research.se, YogaFörDig, Sydsvenskan, Landetsfria and Dagblad.
Wamsler, C. (2023) Vad våra inre liv har med klimatkrisen att göra (What our inner lives have to do with the climate crisis), Journal of Social Medicine (Socialmedicinsk tidskrift), 100(3). See here.

Presentations, pod-casts and interviews

A 5 min presentation on how inner personal development contributes to collective and system change by Prof. Wamsler held during the "Connected Consciousness for Planetary Health" event hosted by the Nova Institute for Health, the Planetary Health Alliance, and the Garrison Institute. The recording is available through the Nova network and IDG websites.
Session with Jamie Bristow and Prof. Wamsler for the Women's Climate Congress, the Charter for Compassion Australia and the Global Compassion Coalition, presenting the Reconnection report. Online.
The Story of a New World movie, supported by our research; see Prof. Wamsler's comment on the movie here. More information here.
COP27 UNDP/CoFSA event on 'Food for Climate: Activating Transformation from the Inside Out'. The session includes Andrew Bovarnick, Global Head of the UNDP Food and Agricultural Commodity Systems practice, an indigenous leader @Vairoa Ika Guldman, a leading academic Christine Wamsler, a development expert Thomas Legrand and CoFSA members Maximilian Abouleish-Boes, Ph.D, Jeroen Janss, Katie Palmer, Teresa Corção. Online summary video. Full video. Announcement with speakers and slides here. The UNDP/CoFSA manifesto can be accessed here.
Launch of our UNDP/CoFSA policy report 'Cultivating inner capacities for regenerative food system' and the associated 'Theoretical foundations report'. Online.
Change Maker Webinar on the Inner Development Goals. Sarah Emond guides through the Inner Development Goals framework, and Professor Christine Wamsler provides input from a scientific perspective. Online.
Launch of our policy report 'Reconnection - Meeting the climate crisis inside-out' with Caroline Lucas MP, Member of the British Parliament and former Green Party leader; Tom Rivett-Carnac, political lobbyist for the UNFCCC and an author on climate change policy; and Yoko Alender, Member of the Estonian Parliament and Chair of its Environment Committee. Online.
Launch of our draft policy report 'Reconnection - Meeting the climate crisis inside-out'' with Jon Kabat-Zinn. Online.
Interview with Prof. Wamsler for the journal 'Nachhaltigkeit. Neu denken.' ('Sustainability. New Perspectives.'). Interview & full edition (in German).

IDG Global Summit 2022, featuring Johan Rockström, Otto Scharmer, Robert Kegan, etc. Online. See program and presentations by the Karolinska Institutet track, including Dan Siegel, Jamie Bristow and Christine Wamsler here.
Stanford University, Contemplation by Design Summit, October 25 - Novembers 2, 2021, presentation on: Inner Transformation and Sustainability. Online.
Dallas College Sustainability Summit, November 5, 2021, with Jamie Bristow (Mindfulness Initiative), presentation title: Can mindfulness and compassion training increase responsiveness and resilience to the climate crisis?
Mind&Life 2021 Summer Research Institute, The Mind, the Human-Earth Connection, and the Climate Crisis, Panel Discussion Science Forum on: The science of social change for sustainability (featuring Elissa Epel, Karen O’Brien, Ed Maibach and Christine Wamsler). The session is now part of the online course 'The mind, the human-earth connection, and the climate crisis'.
Mind&Life 2021 Summer Research Institute, The Mind, the Human-Earth Connection, and the Climate Crisis, Workshop by Christine Wamsler on inner transformation and sustainability. The session is now part of the online course 'The mind, the human-earth connection, and the climate crisis'.
MindShift Conferences, November 2020 and May 2021. LUCSUS is part of the cooperating organisations and Prof. Christine Wamsler is part of the expert panel on the development of the inner development goals (IDGs). Panel discussion about the IDGs & presentation on the science of inner transformation and sustainability. Online.
COP26 EU event on the role of leadership (and inner qualities, such as compassion) in organisations with large systemic impact. Panel featuring Prof. Christine Wamsler together with Clara de la Torre, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission and Eva Karlsson, CEO of Houdini. Event coordinator: Petra Manderscheid, Executive Director of the EU Joint Programming Initiative Connecting Climate Knowledge for Europe (JPI Climate). Online.
Inner Green Deal Podcast Episode 03 – What role do mindsets play in activating sustainable development and climate action? Online. The transcript of the Episode can be accessed here. Note that the PodCast includes also a discussion on the role of mindfulness/ contemplative practices for supporting sustainability and climate action.
The international journal Moment-by-Moment has in their edition "Strong Women" has published an interview with Prof. Christine Wamsler, discussing the background, work and impact of the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program, including research on mindfulness and its relevance for politics. You can find here the original German version and a rough English translation.
Exhibition at the Modern Art Museum in Malmö & related lecture series on 'Sensing Nature from Within'. Prof. Christine Wamsler and Post-Doc Diego Galafassi, LUCSUS, gave a presentation on the role of inner dimensions and transformation for sustainability. Online.
Prestigious Dean's lecture at the University of Melbourne on how climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction can be mainstreamed in urban planning and governance to increase urban resilience. In this lecture, Prof. Christine Wamsler also highlights the role of inner dimensions to support change (see min 35.20-39.10). See also an interview about the Dean's lecture with Alan March, an interview about the lecture with LUCSUS colleagues, and another related interview for Radio National Australia.

Forthcoming publications

Osberg, G., Islar, M., Wamsler, C. (2023) Towards a post-carbon society: Supporting ecological citizenship to tackle climate change, forthcoming.
Böhme, J., Spreitzer, EM., Wamsler, C (2024) Towards a relational approach: New pathways for conducting sustainability research and practice in the Anthropocene, forthcoming.
Stenfors, C., Ramstetter, L., Wamsler, C., Rupprecht, S., Osika, W. (2024) Compassion towards others versus self show differential associations with own wellbeing, and pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour, forthcoming.
Ramstetter, L., Spilker, G., Klackl, J., Döpp, J., Wamsler, C. (2023) No Double Dividend? Effects of an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention on affective polarization and pro-environmentalism, Research project report.