For instance, the production of combustion engines is set to be banned from 2035. For Graz-based climate expert Franz Prettenthaler, "clear action is required", he stresses in the Sunday interview.

For several weeks now, there has once again been lively debate in Austria about climate protection. The question at the centre of it all is whether sacrifice is necessary in order to slow down climate change. Wherever the focus is placed on technology, behaviour risks spiralling out of control, says Franz Prettenthaler, Director of the Centre for Climate, Energy and Society "LIFE" at Joanneum Research: "If every millionaire invites an 18-year-old on a trip to space, it simply won't add up for everyone and for the planet."

Individual consumer behaviour is key

Despite new ideas and technologies, resources must be conserved, says the expert: "We'll have more and more people, resources are limited, and therefore what each individual ultimately consumes is very much a deciding factor too, alongside technology, which of course also needs to change."

Watch Wolfgang Schaller in conversation with climate expert Franz Prettenthaler at steiermark.orf.at