Date: November 7, 2025 Time: 4:15 PM Venue: Room 3.1.5 (Building 3, First floor, Leonardo Campus)
Abstract: This lecture explores the nature and significance of a crucial form of global environmental expertise; that which conducts global environmental assessments with the aim of influencing decision-making. Drawing on the theory of expertise, the talk examines the epistemic practices of this type of expertise and its relationship to more narrowly defined forms of expertise. This form of expertise challenges traditional disciplinary boundaries in knowledge production, while simultaneously relying on established disciplines to maintain scientific legitimacy and epistemic authority. The lecture will highlight key challenges of ensuring this expertise’s trustworthiness, particularly balancing internal credibility (among peers) with external credibility (among decision-makers and stakeholders).
Rolf Lidskog is Professor of Sociology at Örebro University (Sweden) and holds a PhD in Sociology (1994) and a PhD in Ethics (2007). His research interests include environmental sociology, risk sociology, and science and technology studies. Currently, he is investigating the role of expertise in international environmental governance. His latest book is Environmental Sociology and Social Transformation (Routledge, 2024), co-authored with Magnus Boström.
