Those eligible for an honorary doctorate from TU Graz not only enjoy a high reputation in their own field, but have also demonstrated outstanding achievements in science and research or in technical and scientific innovation that have had a lasting impact on society. Climate researcher and former chairwoman of CCCA, Helga Kromp-Kolb, meets these requirements for one of TU Graz's highest academic honours. On 30 November 2022, she was welcomed into the circle of honorary doctoral graduates of TU Graz in recognition of her scientific contributions to sustainability and climate protection.
"The honour bestowed upon Helga Kromp-Kolb is a recognition of her impressive and tireless commitment to climate protection and a sustainable society. Both topics have been strongly promoted at TU Graz in recent years in research, teaching, and third mission activities, and have significantly advanced our development," emphasised Rector Harald Kainz in his address at the honorary ceremony in the Aula of TU Graz. TU Graz is thus pursuing the goal of sustainable CO2 reduction across all areas and has committed itself to achieving climate neutrality by 2030.
Helga Kromp-Kolb emphasised that cooperation rather than competition is needed to tackle the challenges of climate change, and used her words of thanks to also sing the praises of TU Graz: "I find it encouraging that TU Graz has recognised the signs of the times and is going beyond the necessary framework."
The meteorologist Helga Kromp-Kolb is an internationally highly acclaimed climate researcher. Her habilitation at the University of Vienna was preceded by positions at the Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG) and at San José State University in California. She headed the Department of Environmental Meteorology at ZAMG and the University of Vienna before accepting a call to the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU) Vienna. She is the author of, amongst other works, "Schwarzbuch Klimawandel" (2005) and "Plus zwei Grad: Warum wir uns für die Rettung der Welt erwärmen sollten" (2018). Even after her retirement in 2017, Helga Kromp-Kolb continues her tireless and persistent engagement in teaching and in efforts towards the transformation of universities and society — for example as a board member of the Climate Change Centre Austria, as a founding member of the Alliance of Sustainable Universities, and as one of the initiators of the project "Universities and Sustainable Development Goals (UniNEtZ)".
