The Environmental Cognition Research Group emerged from an exchange of cognitive scientists interested in environmental and climate-related topics with the FZ IUSF through the Profile Line Human-Environment Systems. We are an informal group of researchers who focus on the role of cognitive processes in environmentally and climate-friendly behavior. This has taken place so far through topic-related courses at the Institute of Cognitive Science (IKW), as well as through events conducted jointly with FZ IUSF, such as the "Thinkathon: Humanity in a Changing Climate" in 2021.

Currently, members of the research group are, for example, exploring the applications of cognitive science theories in the context of sustainability transformations in agriculture. There are numerous points of connection to the research fields of the FZ. Furthermore, cognitive science can provide concepts for understanding how individuals and collectives think about and implement transformations in their diverse areas of life.

In the long term, we aim to strengthen the interdisciplinary/institutional axis between IKW and FZ IUSF through exchange, discussion, and collaborative teaching formats. We believe that the intersection between cognitive science and environmental system research, particularly in the realm of socio-ecological systems, represents an important emerging research field that can provide pathways to a sustainable Anthropocene.