Environmental sociologists have long called for the reduction of the impact of modern societies on ecosystems. More recently, new research in the ecological and technical sciences, augmented by public discourse about strategies for adapting to and mitigating ecological changes caused by humans (e.g., global warming), as well as natural catastrophes (e.g., earthquakes, tsunamis), have fostered sociological research on not only the risks but also the opportunities for the social design of environmental dynamics. In light of these debates, this conference will explore sociology's potential for helping to better understand the social possibilities and limits of the "shapability" of an ever-changing natural world.

The Second Environmental Sociology Summit will be held at KUBUS, the conference center of the Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig, Germany. KUBUS is a modern conference centre in Leipzig's "Science Park". Further information about KUBUS can be found at http://www.leipziger-kubus.ufz.de.

Preliminary programme