How can a city undergoing deep transformation become not only greener or more modern, but also more just? This question has guided our recent work in the STENEO project 🔗 (Social Dimension of New Energy Technologies in the Ostrava Metropolitan Area), where we have been developing a conceptual framework for analysing just urban transformation in... Continue Reading →
New Project on Transforming Food Systems in Central and Eastern Europe
Česká verze příspěvku zde. At the end of March 2026, Pavlína Schultzová, a member of the Department of Social-Ecological Analysis (SE Lab) (🔗) of the Global Change Research Institute CAS - CzechGlobe (🔗), received a three-year grant from the Charles University Grant Agency (GA UK) to support her dissertation project on Food Systems Transformation in... Continue Reading →
Nový projekt se zaměří na transformaci potravinových systémů ve střední a východní Evropě
English version of the blog here. Na konci března 2026 získala Pavlína Schultzová, členka Oddělení sociálně-ekologické analýzy (SE Lab) (🔗) Ústavu výzkumu globální změny AV ČR – CzechGlobe (🔗), tříletý grant od Grantové agentury Univerzity Karlovy (GA UK) na svůj disertační projekt Transformace potravinových systémů v kontextu střední a východní Evropy. Projekt se zaměřuje na to, jak může... Continue Reading →
Od globálního k lokálnímu: co znamená nexus biodiverzity v kontextu krize biodiverzity v Česku?
Krize biodiverzity (🔗) dnes společně se změnou klimatu představuje jednu z nejzásadnějších environmentálních výzev. Na rozdíl od změny klimatu ale zůstává biodiverzita ve veřejném i politickém prostoru v pozadí zájmu, a to navzdory jejím zásadním dopadům na fungování lidské společnosti. Právě na tuto disproporci reaguje i nový výzkumný projekt Akademie věd ČR zaměřený na krizi biodiverzity, různé... Continue Reading →
The JustBioSolar project is starting: How to combine solar energy, benefits for society and biodiversity?
At the beginning of April 2026, a new international research project JustBioSolar (🔗) was launched, which focuses on one of the key challenges of today: how to cope with the energy crisis using renewable sources so that they not only help secure energy sources and benefits for society, but also protect biodiversity and contribute to... Continue Reading →
Using leverage points in the real world: what we learned in PLANET4B project
How can big systemic ideas support people who are working on biodiversity challenges in their everyday practice? In our recent study from the PLANET4B project (🔗), we explored what happens when a well-known concept from systems thinking – the leverage points framework – is brought into participatory workshops with diverse stakeholders. Rather than debating the... Continue Reading →
CzechGlobe at ECEMP: Mainstreaming Reflexive Practices in Systems Modelling
At the European Climate and Energy Modelling Platform conference, held on 16-17 October 2025 in Brussels, researchers from CzechGlobe (Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences) co-organised and led a special session titled “Mainstreaming Reflexive Practices in Systems Modelling Approaches”. The event formed part of the conference’s overarching theme, “European Energy Transition... Continue Reading →
Nová studie SYRI ukazuje, jak vybudovat společnost odolnou proti katastrofám
Extrémní projevy počasí jako vichřice, sucho nebo povodně se kvůli klimatickým změnám i v Česku stávají čím dál častějšími. Míra dopadů těchto katastrof závisí na resilienci, tedy odolnosti společnosti a její schopnosti se s podobnými událostmi vyrovnat a předcházet jim. Nová studie Národního institutu SYRI ukazuje, že je český systém snižování rizik katastrof zatím zaměřený především na tradiční krizové řízení... Continue Reading →
Continuing the Transition: The Third BIONEXT Workshop Tackles Transformation in a Region Undergoing Change
In May 2025, the BIONEXT project (🔗) held its third international workshop - this time in the spa town of Teplice in the Czech Republic, a region deeply shaped by both ecological degradation and the promise of renewal. Building on the foundational work of the previous two workshops in Santorini (2023) and Schoorl (2024), this... Continue Reading →
2025 Alternet Conference: Contribution to achieving transformative change for biodiversity
The 2025 Alternet conference took place in the beautiful city of Aveiro, Portugal from 13-16 May, bringing together researchers, experts and decision makers with a common goal of realising transformation for sustainability. This year’s theme dubbed, “Achieving Transformative Change for Biodiversity” sought to explore the root causes of biodiversity decline and how to drive fundamental... Continue Reading →
Reflections on the Prefigurative Politics of Present Transformations Workshop in Oslo
The recent collaborative workshop held in Oslo on 15–16 April brought together a diverse and interdisciplinary community of 32 scholars and practitioners from across 18 countries, including David Stella and Simeon Vaňo from the Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, united by a shared interest in exploring prefigurative politics on transformations.... Continue Reading →
Výzkumná spolupráce s Aalto University v oblasti designu a udržitelnosti
Co je podstatné při procesu designování sociálně-ekologické transformace? A jak aktuálně vypadá design pro rozvoj resilience? Na tyto a další související otázky získávala odpovědi doktorandka Anna Bromová z Oddělení sociálně-ekologické analýzy v rámci tříměsíčního výzkumného pobytu na Oddělení designu při Aalto University ve Finsku. Na přelomu roku prohloubila spolupráci se svou mentorkou z mentoringového programu Národního institutu... Continue Reading →
Exploring System Mapping and Leverage Points in the PLANET4B Project
How can we make better decisions for biodiversity on individual and institutional levels? One approach used by the PLANET4B project to tackle this question involves system mapping, leverage point analysis, and identifying key intervention points across various sectors and regions. The recently published "Report on System Mapping and Leverage Points for Each Case" presents findings... Continue Reading →
TransformERS: Transformations, International Experience and Sustainable Futures
TransformERS is a COST Action network that aims to inform research, policy and practice for transformations that deliver justice in a changing global context by bringing together and positioning research relevant to societal transformation. Societal transformations such as these are refered to as highly necessary to avoid catastrophic climate change and biodiversity loss, and are... Continue Reading →
Poslední kroky v hodnoceních IPBES zaměřených na nexus a transformativní změnu
V uplynulých třech letech se několik členů našich sesterských oddělení podílelo na hodnotících zprávách Mezivládní vědecko-politické platformy pro biodiverzitu a ekosystémové služby (IPBES), zejména na hodnotící zprávě Tematické hodnocení vzájemných vazeb mezi biologickou rozmanitostí, vodou, potravinami a zdravím (hodnotící zpráva zaměřená na nexus) a hodnotící zprávě Tematické hodnocení základních příčin ztráty biologické rozmanitosti, determinantů transformativní... Continue Reading →
Reflecting on the PLANET4B 3rd Consortium Meeting in Budapest
The PLANET4B 3rd Consortium Meeting took place from October 8th to 10th, 2024, in Budapest. It was an insightful gathering aimed at advancing the project's objectives. Held at the centrally located Impact Hub Budapest, the meeting brought together all project partners to review progress, share findings, and strategize the next steps. Over three days, project... Continue Reading →
Beskydy Workshop 2024: Exploring Transformative Perspectives on Nature-Based Governance
The Beskydy Workshop 2024, held from September 24–26 at Hotel Horal in Velké Karlovice, focused on the theme of "Nature-Based Governance: Coevolutionary and Transformative Perspectives on the Biodiversity and Climate Crises." This scientific gathering brought together researchers and practitioners to explore nature-based governance (NBG) from a coevolutionary and co-creative perspective by responding to people's and... Continue Reading →
Výsledky projektu “Just Scapes: Spravedlivá transformace krajiny”
Oddělení sociálně-ekologické analýzy (SE Lab) dokončilo v nedávné době práci na projektu Just Scapes, který se zaměřil na spravedlivou transformaci venkovských oblastí v Evropě. Šlo o projekt v mezinárodní spolupráci, přičemž česká případová studie, kterou zpracovávalo právě oddělení SE Lab, probíhala na Slovácku a Valašsku. Zkoumali jsme vztah mezi ochotou místních obyvatel přijímat změny v... Continue Reading →
EASST-4S 2024 in Amsterdam: Contribution to this year’s Conference on Making and Doing Transformations
From 16 to 19 July, the EASST-4S 2024 Conference took place in Amsterdam, Netherlands. CzechGlobe’s Abhigya and Tereza Prasilova had the opportunity to present their work on two ongoing projects: FoSTA-Health and the SSH Centre project. The EASST-4S 2024 conference was a joint meeting of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology... Continue Reading →
New Insights on Knowledge Systems in Sustainable Development Cooperation: A Focus on Zambia
A new paper, Knowledge-Based Interventions for Sustainable Development Cooperation: Insights from Knowledge Systems Mapping in Zambia, delves into the critical role of knowledge systems within the context of international development cooperation, with a specific focus on the Czech Republic's development activities in Zambia. It was published in Sustainability Science and co-authored, among others, by scientists... Continue Reading →
Workshop na téma transformativní změny v ČR
Ve čtvrtek 23. května 2024 se v Praze uskutečnil výzkumný workshop mapující mechanismy transformativní změny směrem k udržitelnosti v sektorech energetiky, potravin a zemědělství v Česku. Organizovalo jej Oddělení sociálně-ekologické analýzy (SE Lab) Ústavu výzkumu globální změny AV ČR (ÚVGZ). Šlo už o druhé setkání výzkumnic a výzkumníků našeho oddělení se stakeholdery, kteří se v... Continue Reading →
PLUS Change project contributes to shaping land use strategies in Nitra city
Sustainable land use strategies in both urban and rural areas in Europe must be planned to meet biodiversity, climate and human wellbeing in a changing world. The PLUS Change project aims to help achieve this through a series of research activities and participatory workshops in 12 case studies from 11 EU countries. One of these... Continue Reading →
SSH Centre: Workshop on Mobility Communities
In April 2024, a two-day workshop on Mobility Communities was held in Porto, Portugal, as part of series of workshops organised under the Knowledge Brokerage Programme within the project SSH Centre. CzechGlobe, a partner of the project consortium, was represented by Tereza Prášilová, who attended the workshop as an active observer. First day of the... Continue Reading →
Exploring farmers‘ aspirations in Tanzania and Malawi
FoSTA-Health is a project where Lenka Suchá and Aneta Seidlová from CzechGlobe, along with partners from the University of Leeds, contribute to the research components focused on the on-ground food systems transformation in Tanzania and Malawi. They are specifically interested in how the food systems transformations are framed by the small-scale farmers who are most... Continue Reading →
Plus Change – 1st Workshop in the Nitra City Practice Case
The PLUS Change project aims to develop strategies and decision-making processes for land use that effectively address challenges related to climate change, biodiversity, and human well-being. The project involves interventions across diverse political, economic, societal, material, and cultural contexts, involving actors at multiple decision-making levels including the individual, land management, planning, and policy levels. This... Continue Reading →
Advancements and Reflections from the SSH Centre Project: Social Sciences and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence
In January 2024, the Department of Human Dimensions at CzechGlobe participated in the Project Review meeting and Consortium meeting of the Horizon-funded project, SSH Centre (Social Science and Humanities for Climate, Energy and Transport Research Excellence), held in Brussels. The Department of Human Dimensions at CzechGlobe is a partner institution in the SSH Centre project, which is... Continue Reading →
Coop4Wellbeing: Výstupy pro rozvojovou praxi
V letech 2021-2023 realizoval Ústav výzkumu globální změny AV ČR ve spolupráci s Katedrou rozvojových a environmentálních studií Univerzity Palackého a organizací Člověk v tísni projekt Coop4Wellbeing, který byl podpořen Technologickou agenturou České republiky z programu Éta. Projekt Coop4Wellbeing byl založen na několikastupňovém participativním procesu, který kombinoval výzkumné aktivity v České republice se sběrem dat v Západní provincii... Continue Reading →
Unveiling Synergies: Biodiversity and the UN’s Climate Conference of 2023
With the global climate negotiations progressing, and countries now - for the first time ever! - being called on to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems, the role of biodiversity in tackling the climate crisis is becoming more and more apparent. Unprecedentedly, the most awaited final text of COP28, the Outcome of the... Continue Reading →
Using the Campbell Paradigm to Understand the Role of Institutional Trust in Environmental Policy Support
Public support strongly impacts social change. This has been shown by Elinor Ostrom, the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. At the same time, one of the key factors in the sustainable transformation of societies is the people’s action. Previous research has proven that the lack of popular backing can hinder the adoption... Continue Reading →
Mapping the stakes: food system transformations and One Health
The FoSTA Health team conducted the first round of cross-country stakeholder consultation workshops for the project across Zambia, Tanzania, South Africa, and Malawi between October 11 and 12, 2023. The workshops aimed to glean diverse perspectives on food system transformations, focusing on One Health outcomes. These engagements are the first step toward exploring how human,... Continue Reading →
Transformative biodiversity initiatives in the spotlight
With the world breaking all the wrong records and the science stressing the need to mitigate the climate crisis and biodiversity loss louder than ever, it is high time to investigate current unique initiatives that are part of the solution rather than the problem. Therefore, within BIONEXT, a research and innovation project that joins the... Continue Reading →
Our department at the Earth System Governance conference & PLANET4B project consortium meeting
In the week of 23-27 October 2023, the Department of Human Dimensions of Global Change was represented at two events in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, as part of the ongoing activities of the PLANET4B project. The 2023 Radboud conference on Earth System Governance brought together different scientific disciplines and stakeholders from different sectors to connect science... Continue Reading →
Druhý tematický workshop projektu SELINA v Madridu
V termínu 2. - 5. 10. 2023 jsme se zúčastnili druhého tematického workshopu projektu SELINA s podtitulem „Advancing solutions“ (for mapping, assessment and accounting of ecosystems and their services). Workshop pořádala partnerská instituce Universidad Rey Juan Carlos ve španělském Madridu. Projekt SELINA (akronym pro Science for Evidence-based and sustainabLe decisIons about NAatural capital) je podpořen... Continue Reading →
Workshop: Vazby mezi společností a přírodou v praxi české rozvojové spolupráce
Ve dnech 31. 8.-1. 9.2023 v Litomyšli proběhl závěrečný workshop projektu Coop4Wellbeing, který dlouhodobě usiluje o propojování české rozvojové spolupráce (ZRS ČR) a sociálně-ekologického výzkumu v Západní provincii Zambie. Cílem závěrečného workshopu bylo: Představit realizátorům ZRS ČR klíčová zjištění terénního výzkumu v Zambii Společně diskutovat tyto výsledky a jejich praktické využití při designu a implementaci rozvojových... Continue Reading →
Transformations Conference 2023 in Europe
From 13 to 15 July this year, CzechGlobe hosted the European Hub of the Transformations 2023 conference. You can see more about the conference, and the Transformations Community here. The European Hub was intended as a smaller, intensive in-person conference as a way to maximize inclusive participation while minimizing carbon emissions. The main conference was... Continue Reading →
Environmental justice in the context of Elba’s mass tourism
Elba is the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest one in Italy. Its terrain is very diverse, with the eastern and western areas being largely mountainous and most of the large cities concentrated in the central flat; some 31 309 permanent residents inhabit the seven communes of the island. One... Continue Reading →
PLUS Change Project Launch & Kick off Meeting
The PLUS Change project—Planning Land Use Strategies: Meeting biodiversity, climate and social objectives in a changing world—a collaborative Horizon Europe project involving representatives from 14 countries and 23 institutions, commenced with a highly successful kick-off meeting held in Prague from June 12th to 14th. Read the press release on the project's linkedin. You can follow... Continue Reading →
How I met your colleague, aka Evidence for Policy in Disaster Risk Management Summer School
The Evidence for Policy in Disaster Risk Management Summer School brought together researchers, scientists and policy makers to network, share knowledge and explore methods for the incorporation of more research into policy making. The Summer School, organised by the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network and hosted by the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, took place in Pisa,... Continue Reading →
Creating nature-centred futures for Europe in 2050
In the Horizon Europe-funded project BIONEXT, European changemakers are exploring new visions for nature-centered Europe for 2050. In the first out of three BIONEXT workshops, in May 2023 in Greece, changemakers from different backgrounds created visions of what a nature-centred Europe can look like in the year 2050. Who are the changemakers participating in BIONEXT... Continue Reading →
IPBES Transformative Change Assessment: 2nd Author Meeting in Costa Rica
Between 21st and 31st May this year, I was in Costa Rica for the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment Second Author Meeting and Summary for Policy Makers first meeting. I already blogged last year about what the assessment is about, how the process works etc., and because of the confidentiality of the report, I cannot write... Continue Reading →
FoSTA-Health’s scoping visit to Malawi
In April-May 2023 FoSTA-Health researchers participated in scoping activities in Zambia and Malawi. Our CzechGlobe team member, Lenka Suchá, joined our other colleagues from the consortium for one week in Malawi. The primary aim of the scoping visit was to gather background information about one-health and food systems transformations in order to refine our research... Continue Reading →
Analýza archetypů jako přístup ke zkoumání udržitelných strategií
Archetypová analýza je metodologický přístup ke studiu složitých sociálně-ekologických systémů a vzájemného působení jednotlivých částí těchto systémů. Například zemědělské systémy pěstování plodin jsou procesy, které vyžadují lidskou činnost i specifické prostředí, ale napříč regiony existuje široká škála biofyzikálních atributů, zemědělských postupů nebo společensko-politických organizací a dalších faktorů, které tyto systémy utvářejí a které vykazují jedinečné,... Continue Reading →
Leading a New Project: PLUS Change
We are very excited to be coordinating a new project called PLUS Change: Planning Land Use Strategies for meeting climate, biodiversity and social goals in a Changing world. The project is funded by Horizon Europe (grant agreement 101081464) and will launch on 1st June and run for 4 years. It involves 23 partners from across... Continue Reading →
Degrowth debunked or decoupling debunked?
Beyond economic growth in sustainability debates. We quite often witness heated disputes on the direction of sustainability transitions. These debates are slowly making its way also to popular spaces and the media, often distorted and biased. Within this discourse, there are two recognisable ideological streams: one representing the proponents of ...
Druhá expedice do Zambie: Vlogy z terénního výzkumu
Po roce se do Západní provincie v Zambii vydaly v rámci projektu Coop4Wellbeing výzkumnice z CzechGlobe, Lenka Suchá, Zuzana Harmáčková a Aneta Seidlová, spolu s kolegy z Katedry rozvojových a environmentálních studií Univerzity Palackého a z organizace Člověk v tísni. Tým se věnoval prohlubování výzkumu klíčových témat, která jsou důležitá jak pro život místních lidí... Continue Reading →
SYRI: Jak posílit společenskou i environmentální odolnost jako prevenci systémových rizik?
Výzkumníci a výzkumnice z CzechGlobe jsou součástí národního výzkumného konsorcia zkoumajícího dopady systémových rizik na společnost a ekonomiku. SYRI (Národní institut pro výzkum socioekonomických dopadů nemocí a systémových rizik) je virtuální vědecký hub, který sdružuje odborníky z Masarykovy univerzity, Univerzity Karlovy a ústavů Akademie věd ČR. Vznikl jako reakce na zjištění, že současné výzvy (včetně... Continue Reading →
SYRI: How to strengthen social and environmental resilience as a prevention of systemic risks?
CzechGlobe researchers are part of a national research consortium investigating the impacts of systemic risks on society and the economy. SYRI (National Institute for Research on the Socioeconomic Impact of Disease and Systemic Risk) is a virtual scientific hub that brings together experts from Masaryk University, Charles University and institutes of the Czech Academy of... Continue Reading →
Ideas for just landscape transformation: the last round of Just Scapes workshops
What are the possible solutions that would help remove barriers to landscape change and transition towards sustainable land management from the perspective of local stakeholders? In February 2023, we held the last round of Just Scapes participatory workshops. For the past two years, we have been doing research focused on possible landscape and land management... Continue Reading →
TRANSPATH: Jak zajistit synergická a spravedlivá opatření v oblasti biodiverzity a klimatu?
Odborníci z CzechGlobe se připojují k mezinárodnímu konsorciu zkoumajícímu, jaké cesty by nám mohly pomoci transformovat řetězce mezi těžbou, výrobou, spotřebou a obchodem tak, abychom dosáhli pozitivních výsledků pro klima a biologickou rozmanitost. Nový čtyřletý projekt TRANSPATH je financován z programu Evropské unie pro výzkum a inovace Horizon Europe. Pomůže identifikovat intervence a body působení... Continue Reading →
TRANSPATH: How to make biodiversity and climate actions synergistic and just?
Experts from CzechGlobe are joining an international consortium to study what pathways could help us transform the chains between extraction, production, consumption and trade, to achieve positive outcomes for climate and biodiversity. The new four-year project, TRANSPATH, is funded by the European Union’s research and innovation programme Horizon Europe. It will identify leverage points and... Continue Reading →











