Easter in Leverkusen: Citizens' resilience shrinks - a wake -up call!

Easter in Leverkusen: Citizens' resilience shrinks - a wake -up call!

In Leverkusen, people's resilience has decreased in recent years, which Pastor Detlev Prößdorf has observed in his community in Wiesdorf for over 20 years. He speaks of a "background noise" of bad news that affects people differently. Those who have a deep Christian conviction are particularly affected, since they can often distinguish between world events and personal faith better. Prößdorf emphasizes that the pressure has increased through global problems, especially the climate crisis and that the uncertainty in dealing with multicultural and multi -religious topics in Leverkusen can be felt.

The Covid 19 pandemic has contributed to the decrease in resilience, and so the search for solutions and strengthening the sense of community becomes more urgent. The municipality has already positioned itself clearly on topics such as peace, justice and preservation of creation. A climate working group has established itself to take environmentally friendly measures, and the municipality is aiming for certification according to the "Grüner Hahn" environmental management system.

collective actions and the pressure to change

The social dynamics are not only located locally in Leverkusen. There are an increasing number of collective protests in Germany and other European countries. These actions, once perceived positively, are now facing more radical forms that cause contradiction. According to the Wupper Institut , knowledge about climate change and the pressure to change in society has increased, which has an urgent question of effective measures in dealing with the climate crisis.

An example of academic discourse is the Humboldt-Ring Lecture, which discusses various approaches to dealing with the climate crisis in the winter semester 2024/2025. This lecture offers multidisciplinary insights from law, psychology and communication sciences. The participants are encouraged to develop explanatory models and analyze the public debate in order to improve the argumentation in their own environments.

The cultural heritage in the context of the climate crisis

climate change not only endangers the social structure, but also the cultural heritage in Europe. The final report of a group of experts from the European Commission indicates that both direct and indirect effects of disaster events endanger the cultural heritage. These threats are reinforced by decay processes and errors when adapting to the new reality.

Nevertheless, the cultural heritage also offers solutions for a green and climate -neutral continent. 83 proven procedures from 26 countries are presented as a source of inspiration for future measures. These examples show that preserving and maintaining cultural heritage can also contribute to combating climate change.

In this complex location, in which both social and cultural aspects are at stake, both municipalities and social actors have to work together to shape a more resilient future.