The Climate Change Center Austria (CCCA), the network of Austrian climate researchers, firmly rejects Kurz’s claim that the climate crisis can only be solved through technology and innovation and that people do not have to do without anything.
It is true that one takes “with pleasure” to note “that the Federal Chancellor is now entering the content of the climate debate”. His statements regarding the climate crisis, however, contradict international and national scientific studies. According to these, it would rather be clear that technology and innovation alone cannot solve the climate crisis, but that additional social innovation and, above all, suitable political and legal framework conditions are necessary.
“We and the CCCA scientists are happy to deal with those studies and the new findings that may be contained therein, on the basis of which Federal Chancellor Kurz made his statements if he made them available to us,” it said smugly. A corresponding offer was made to Kurz, “in any case they are happy to be available for a professional exchange with the Federal Chancellor”.
Climate protection does not mean “back to the Stone Age”
In addition, the experts wrote that climate protection in no way means going back to the Stone Age. The goal is “on the contrary, to stay within the ecological limits of the planet in order to preserve our livelihoods and ensure quality of life”. However, this is not possible without reducing the pressure on natural resources. This will also require changes in habit, but not necessarily renunciation. As reported, the debate on climate protection has led to conflicts within the coalition. Kurz said, “He did not think at all that our way back to the Stone Age should be.”
In any case, this is the only way to secure Austria as a business location in the long term. Overcoming the climate crisis is “diverse and complex” and will only succeed in a broad social process in which everyone – politics, industry and economy, science and society – pull together, according to the CCCA.
“There will be no miracle technology that leaves our system completely unchanged,” emphasized Karl Steininger, Professor of Climate Economics in Graz, on Thursday on the “Ö1” radio. Harald Rieder from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna confirms this: “On the basis of the broad scientific studies available to us, it can be clearly stated that the climate crisis cannot be overcome within the current economic method, as well as purely through innovation and technology.”
The “Fridays For Future” movement has called for a demo in front of the Federal Chancellery on Ballhausplatz this Friday. “Extreme weather catastrophes, most recently the floods in large parts of Austria, made the climate crisis painfully tangible this summer. By continuing as before, this risk is only increased. (…) The ÖVP must stop To block climate protection and wait for future miracle technologies. The time to act is now, “said Mirjam Hohl from” Fridays For Future “in a broadcast.
