Statements - Climate Change Centre Austria

Video on the D-A-CH Statement

In September 2019, S4F scientists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland released a video that directly references the statement signed by more than 26,000 scientists in March 2019.

The video is based on video material submitted by 133 scientists (e.g. featuring Karl Steininger, Helga Kromp-Kolb, Harald Welzer, Martina Schäfer and Eckart von Hirschhausen).

The short film "Scientists For Future: A Call to Policy Makers" was produced by Judith Hardt, Bernhard Steinberger, Sebastian Rau and Patrick Bürger. It has been shared via social media from 17 September 2019. The film was also screened on 20 September 2019 in larger cinemas in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, including in Munich, Innsbruck and Lucerne.

Presentation of the D-A-CH Statement

In mid-February 2019, a joint statement was drawn up with the involvement of CCCA scientists. This was coordinated in Austria by CCCA, supported by Helga Kromp-Kolb, Vienna, and Gottfried Kirchengast, Graz. The result is a collaborative work backed by over 26,800 scientists from Germany, Austria and Switzerland — 2,221 of them scientists from Austria. This statement was presented at simultaneous CCCA press conferences in Vienna and Graz on 12 March 2019. These took place alongside a master press conference in Berlin and further press conferences across the D-A-CH region. Media interest was high in both cities.

Participating for Vienna: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Helga Kromp-Kolb (CCCA & climate researcher at BOKU Vienna), Dr. Michael Staudinger (CCCA & Director of ZAMG), Dr. Thomas Schinko (CCCA Early Career Researchers Working Group & junior researcher at IIASA), Univ.-Prof. Dr. Klement Tockner (President of FWF), Katharina Rogenhofer and Johannes Stangl (FFF Vienna).

For Graz: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Gottfried Kirchengast (CCCA & climate researcher at University of Graz, ÖAW), Univ.-Prof. Dr. Eva Schulev-Steindl (CCCA & climate and environmental law expert at University of Graz), Dr. Peter Riedler (Vice-Rector for Finance, Resources and Site Development, University of Graz), Marlene Seidel, Jakob Prettenthaler and Lena Stuhlpfarrer (FFF Graz).

At the international climate demonstration on 15 March 2019, Thomas Schinko presented the statement at Vienna's Heldenplatz. In Graz, it was presented by Gottfried Kirchengast. By that point, the statement had been signed by over 23,000 scientists.

Review incl. List of Press Releases for Press Conferences

International Statement

S4F Statement in Science April 2019

CCCA Press Release from 12 April 2019

S4F Publication in the Journal GAIA (Volume 28, Number 2, 2019)

Scientists from all fields are still encouraged to sign the international statement here.

In early April 2019, an international statement on the international climate strikes of the Fridays For Future movement was published. It was put together by the alliance of lead authors of previous letters. Austrian climate research is prominently represented through Helga Kromp-Kolb from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna and Gottfried Kirchengast from the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz as co-authors.

In addition to the D-A-CH region, scientists from Belgium, Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States of America were involved. The statement was initially signed by around three thousand international scientists and was published in the issue of the renowned scientific journal Science dated 12 April 2019. "The concerns of the climate protesters are justified and on the basis of solid scientific evidence we declare: current measures for the protection of the climate and biosphere are deeply inadequate."

Even the very first paragraph of the statement by international climate researchers, published in the current issue of the renowned scientific journal Science, leaves no room for ambiguity and makes an urgent case for the necessity of ambitious measures for climate protection and the environment, while also identifying areas for action. It concludes: "We see it as our social, ethical and scientific responsibility to state clearly: only if humanity acts swiftly and decisively can we limit global warming, halt the mass extinction of animal and plant species, and secure the natural foundations of our food supply and prosperity for future generations. This is what young people want to achieve. They deserve our respect and full support."