“The world is on the brink,” with these alarming words, Antonio Guterres once again urged on the eve of the Glasgow climate conference that the omnipresent talk about the climate should finally be followed by action. The UN Secretary-General has every reason to be concerned, because the data on climate change are alarming. Although the world seemed to temporarily stand by due to the Corona pandemic, carbon emissions rose again in 2021 at an alarming rate to reach record levels in 2022. While there was a drop of about six percent in greenhouse gas emissions in 2020, it is of little consequence in terms of man-made global warming. Climate change continues to gather pace. The 1.5-degree global warming scenario and even the two-degree target are coming under threat. Faced with this catastrophic development, the question arises as to the prospects of a socio-ecological transformation and hence of social conditions within which it is possible to achieve what the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is also calling for – a global sustainability revolution. Have we already missed the chance or are there well-founded prospects for a successful transformation? Klaus Dörre will address these questions in his lecture. His thesis is that ecological and social sustainability are mutually dependent, which is why one cannot exist without the other. Both objectives are prone to conflict. Social actors can thus only be successful in the transformation if they manage the tension between social and ecological sustainability goals.