UniNEtZ SDG 13 in the Austrian Parliament

Transdisciplinary dialogue with political stakeholders is key to driving society's transformation forward. The collaboration on the 2030 Agenda with the Austrian Parliament, which kicked off in September 2022 as part of the activities of Focus Area I, provides an effective platform for advancing this dialogue.

On 24 May 2023, the Plenary Lounge of Parliament was all about SDG 13 Climate Action. The thematic focus was on raising awareness of how urgent it is to implement climate protection measures to tackle the climate crisis, and the opportunities arising from synergies with many other SDGs in order to take effective action.

The UniNEtZ SDG 13 team (represented by Ingeborg Schwarzl, Claudia Michl, Lisa Waldschütz, all CCCA) held numerous stimulating and interesting conversations with SDG Ambassadors of Parliament, members of parliament, and parliamentary staff from almost all parties represented in Parliament.

The urgency of having to act was illustrated using the bathtub model. In this model, the current amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is simulated by water, and the water-filled colourful balloons represent the annual greenhouse gas emissions added per sector. The model is based on the figures from the greenhouse gas budget paper and the current emissions report from the Environment Agency Austria.

Numerous conversations were held on climate change in general, the resulting cross-cutting issues, and the proposed solutions from the UniNEtZ Options Report. In addition to the bathtub model, the basis for these discussions was the UniNEtZ Options Report as well as slide sets (climate change in general, cross-cutting issues).

Another highlight was an SDG 13 quiz featuring questions on problems and solutions from the UniNEtZ Options Report and beyond. Here too, the aim was to highlight challenges and spark conversations about proposed solutions.

Under this motto, parliamentarians were invited to anonymously share their visions for the future of 2030+ and their ideas for solutions in a Mentimeter survey. You can find the results below.

The team from UniNEtZ Focus Area I was there on the ground as always. In the afternoon, the UniNEtZ SDG 6 team also stopped by for a first-hand look in preparation for the next SDG Day.