Art to dramatize the science on ocean heat. Use authorised by Alisa Singer, Environmental Graphiti. © 2022. All rights reserved. Further Information here
Me at COP 30 in Belem
Welcome
My name is Niklas Wagner and I am a postdoctoral researcher working on the politics of knowledge and power in global environmental governance. My work examines how legitimacy, inclusivity, and justice are negotiated within the Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement and in emerging review mechanisms under the Rio Conventions, drawing on Science and Technology Studies, political sociology, and sustainability studies.
I am part of the SNIS-funded Global Stocktake (GST) project at the University of Geneva as well as currently employed the ClimDev project of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and lecturer at the Geography and Sociology Department of the University of Bonn.
I hold a PhD in Knowledge and Environmental Sociology from the Centre for Development Research of the University of Bonn, an MPhil in Environmental Policy from the University of Cambridge, and a BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Further my academic experience includes visiting research stays at the Uniersidade Estadual de Rio de Janeiro (2025), University of Ghana, Universidade de São Paulo, and Ahmedabad University (all 2023) as well as earlier study at the Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research in Mumbai (2018).
Alongside my academic work, I have been active in civil society for many years, having founded the Bed-Exchange Platform and the Bonn Climate Camp for instance.
Research & Teaching
Learn about my doctoral research
Climate Activism
See why & and how I care for the climate
Consultancy
My experience in consultancy on international forestry
Research
My research examines how knowledge and power shape sustainability and environmental governance. Drawing on Science and Technology Studies, political sociology, and critical theory, I use qualitative methods—including interviews and (collaborative) ethnography—to analyse whose knowledge counts in sustainability decision-making.
Ongoing Projects
Inclusivity Assessment of the UNFCCC’s First Global Stocktake (GST)
Within the project “Taking Stock of the First Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement” at the University of Geneva, I study how the first Global Stocktake (GST‑1) shaped participation and which voices were able to influence the process.
Based on observations, interviews, and document analysis, the project examines inclusivity across multiple dimensions of power—from formal access to more hidden forms of agenda‑setting and epistemic authority. While GST‑1 opened new spaces for engagement, structural barriers and knowledge hierarchies continued to limit meaningful participation for many actors from the Majority World.
The project highlights why genuine procedural equity requires confronting these power dynamics and identifies pathways for making future Global Stocktake cycles more inclusive.
Governing Adaptation Through the Global Stocktake
Embedded in the Klimalog project of the German Institute for Development and Sustainability (IDOS), this research explores how climate adaptation was framed and negotiated within GST‑1.
Drawing on interviews and ethnographic research, it shows how adaptation was often treated as a measurable, managerial process—echoing debates around the Global Goal on Adaptation. These technocratic approaches sidelined deeper political and justice‑related dimensions of vulnerability.
The findings demonstrate how epistemic and structural power shape what counts as legitimate adaptation knowledge and action, and point to opportunities for more context‑sensitive and just approaches in future global review cycles.
Publications & Posters
Recent Publications: Integration of an ORCID‑based citation plugin is recommended to automatically display all peer‑reviewed publications with clickable DOI links.
Posters: Posters are available via ResearchGate with DOI links: View on ResearchGate →
Selected Works
- Wagner, N. (2025). The Global Stocktake and Adaptation: How is the Global Stocktake governing adaptation? https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.13773.50406
- Wagner, N. (2023). The legitimacy of the UNFCCC’s Global Stocktake: Bringing together science and policy. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27195.27689
- Wagner, N. (2021). Science‑Policy Interfaces in the Sustainable Development Context. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.32228.44164
Doctoral Dissertation
Legitimate Knowledge‑Policy Co‑Production towards Just Climate Action
This dissertation examines how institutions connecting science and policymaking can better support fair and effective climate action. Bringing together insights from Science and Technology Studies, political sociology, and climate governance, it develops the concept of Legitimate Knowledge‑Policy Co‑Production (LKPC).
LKPC emphasises the integration of diverse knowledge systems, transparent and inclusive processes, and the real‑world impact of climate policies. Drawing on empirical research from local urban climate planning and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the dissertation shows how legitimacy and co‑production can bridge the gap between knowledge and action—especially for communities most affected by climate change.
Peer‑Reviewed Articles
Effectiveness factors and impacts on policymaking of science‑policy interfaces in the environmental sustainability context
A systematic review identifying the features that make science‑policy interfaces effective—from participation and interdisciplinarity to strong communication—and how these factors shape policy agendas and decisions.
More than policy neutral: Justifying the power of science‑policy interfaces through legitimacy
This article develops a legitimacy framework for evaluating science‑policy interfaces, arguing that they are inherently political and that legitimacy strengthens their role in enabling just climate action.
How legitimate are urban climate planning processes?
A comparative assessment of Accra, Ahmedabad, Bonn, and São Paulo, showing how participation, transparency, and co‑production shape just and effective urban climate action.
Unlearning modernity? A critical examination of the IPCC
An analysis of how the IPCC navigates tensions between technical authority and inclusivity, highlighting pathways to enhanced legitimacy in global climate governance.
Citations of the Doctoral Dissertation
- Wagner, N. W. (2025). Legitimate Knowledge Policy Co‑Production towards Just Climate Action. Doctoral thesis, University of Bonn.
- Wagner, N., & Hornidge, A.‑K. (2025). Unlearning modernity? Climatic Change, 178(2), 32.
- Wagner, N., & Pathak, M. (2025). How legitimate are urban climate planning processes? Environmental Research Communications, 7(1), 015021.
- Wagner, N., Sarkki, S., & Dietz, T. (2024). More than policy neutral. Earth System Governance, 21, 100219.
- Wagner, N., Velander, S., Biber‑Freudenberger, L., & Dietz, T. (2023). Effectiveness factors and impacts of science‑policy interfaces in sustainability. Environmental Science & Policy, 140, 56–67.
The Importance of Knowledge Platforms for Sustainable Cities
Reflections and impressions from the ICLEI World Conference in Malmö, Sweden, in May 2022. By Niklas Wagner, junior researcher at the One Health and Urban
Following the science at COP26: Insights and Observations on the Integration of Scientific Findings in International Climate Policy
This blog post was written by Sara Velander and Niklas Wagner, both doctoral researchers at ZEF’s doctoral program BIGS-DR. They spent nearly two weeks at
Navigating the Science-Policy Nexus: Insights from IPBES 9
As the IPBES 10 Plenary kicks off, I’m reminded of the remarkable insights gleaned from the IPBES 9 Plenary in 2022. This crucial science-policy interface
Teaching
Teaching Spotlight
Sustainable Development in Question: Knowledge, Power and the Rio Conventions
Power, Knowledge & the Rio Conventions is a seminar that examines how global sustainability governance is shaped by knowledge and power. The course introduces the three Rio Conventions—the UNFCCC, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)—tracing their historical development, legal foundations, and the different ways they govern climate change, biodiversity, and land degradation.
A core focus lies on their science–policy interfaces (IPCC, IPBES, and the UNCCD SPI). Students explore how these bodies produce, validate, and mobilise knowledge, and how their assessments influence international politics. By contrasting linear models of science advice with co-production approaches informed by critical theory, the seminar highlights how expertise becomes authoritative—and whose knowledge remains marginalised.
The course further blends conceptual discussion with applied learning. Through a simulation of COP negotiations and an analysis of recent COP outcomes, students gain hands-on insight into climate diplomacy and the role of scientific assessments in global negotiations.
Overall, the seminar encourages students to question dominant governance models and to imagine more inclusive and just futures for sustainability governance across the Rio Conventions.
- 2024/25 – Co-teaching the Master’s course Development Sociology together with Dr. Ramona Hägele and Prof. Dr. Hornidge, Sociology Department, University of Bonn.
- 12/2025 – Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro: Entre Pesquisa e Diplomacia Climática: Perspectivas da COP30
- 05/2025 – Center for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern: Legitimate Science Policy Interfaces in Sustainability Governance
- 12/2023 – Ahmedabad University: Legitimate Urban Climate Action Plans: The Case of Ahmedabad
- 09/2023 – University of São Paulo: Legitimate Urban Climate Action Plans: The Case of São Paulo
- 04/2023 – University of Ghana: Legitimate Urban Climate Action Plans: The Case of Accra
- 07/2022 – University of Bonn: Lecture in the Master’s programme Human and Sustainable Development
- 06/2022 – Public Climate School, Students for Future Bonn: Interactive workshop on the IPCC
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Power and Knowledge in Urban Climate Action
This project by Eric Sebastian Kalversberg, supervised by Wendy Chavez and myself, advances Gaventa’s (2006) Power Cube framework by integrating an epistemic dimension. Building on insights from my dissertation fieldwork on urban climate action, it investigates how knowledge and power intersect in urban climate policymaking, with a focus on city climate action plans.
A poster preprint of the project can be found here.
- University of Bonn – MA thesis on Leadership in the Global Stocktake (GST) (to be completed 2026).
- University of Freiburg – BA thesis on Climate Finance and the Global Stocktake (submitted 2025).
- Weihenstephan University of Applied Sciences – MA thesis on IPCC Expert Review and Legitimacy (completed 2024).
- University of Bonn – BA thesis on City Networks in Urban Climate Governance (completed 2024).
Vita
Education
| 05/2021 – 05/2025 |
Center for Development Research & Faculty of Philosophy, University of Bonn
Doctoral Studies in Sociology: “Legitimate Knowledge Policy Co-Production towards Just Climate Action”
Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Hornidge & Prof. Dr. Dietz
Research visits: University of Ghana, University of São Paulo, Ahmedabad University
|
| 10/2019 – 09/2020 | University of Cambridge, Queens’ College MPhil in Environmental Policy |
| 09/2016 – 07/2019 |
JS Mill College – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE)
Semester abroad: IGIDR, Mumbai
|
Employment History
| Since 03/2025 | German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) Researcher, Environmental Governance Department |
| Since 03/2025 | Institute of Environmental Science, University of Geneva Researcher on SNIS-funded Global Stocktake project |
| 05/2021 – 12/2024 | Centre for Development Research, University of Bonn Junior Researcher, One Health and Urban Transformation Project |
| 04/2021 – 12/2024 | German Development Bank (KfW) Consultant, International & Latin American Forestry Protection Programmes |
| 09/2020 – 03/2021 | GIZ & German Development Bank (KfW) Intern |
Volunteering
| Since 2013 | Club 82 e.V. & Lebenshilfe Breisgau Team Leader – Vacations for Disabled People |
| Since 04/2022 | Bed-Exchange Platform & Bonn Climate Camp Founder and Project Lead |
| Since 07/2018 | Klimadelegation e.V. Civil Society Observer to International Climate Negotiations |