Tag: Climate Change

Interview & Opinion

Will we make the energy transition happen?

Opinion: Michael Ornetzeder

Austria intends to become climate neutral by 2040. The scale of transformation is momentous and requires multi-layered and complex changes, involving not only new technologies and infrastructures, but also changing mindsets, social practices and new forms of economic activity. Coping with such change necessitates a broad discussion, which has been lacking so far, and attendant […] Continue reading “Will we make the energy transition happen?”

Projects

Learning to live with nature

According to the Living Planet Report the population of vertebrates on Earth has declined by 69 percent since 1970. This decline is being caused by loss of habitats, environmental pollution and climate change. Not only has humanity a hugely negative impact on nature, it also destroys its own livelihood. How can we learn to live […] Continue reading “Learning to live with nature”

Projects

Global warming disrupts the relationship between plants and pollinators

How would the floral scent of crops change if the temperatures were to rise by five degrees? And what would be the consequences for the relationship between plants and pollinating insects? An international team in Salzburg has simulated a scenario of global warming on three crops with three pollinators. Even though it will not be […] Continue reading “Global warming disrupts the relationship between plants and pollinators”

Interview & Opinion

Why the smallest organisms play the biggest role

Interview: Isabella Ferenci

Microbiologist Christa Schleper has dedicated her research career to archaea – the tiny unicellular organisms that counted among the first life forms on Earth. The 2022 Wittgenstein Award winner has discovered numerous microorganisms, and specialises in studying the impact of archaea on the nitrogen cycle. Her findings lay the groundwork for determining the impact of […] Continue reading “Why the smallest organisms play the biggest role”

Projects

Precision research into Mediterranean history

Opened 150 years ago, the Suez Canal created an artificial connection between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean – and had an unanticipated impact on biodiversity. A Vienna-based research team investigating the historical development of the Mediterranean ecosystem found a massive decline in the diversity of native species. Tropical immigrants are probably not to blame, […] Continue reading “Precision research into Mediterranean history”

Projects

How spruce meets bark beetle

How efficient is the defence mechanism of spruce trees when they are suffering from drought, what attracts bark beetles to stressed trees, and what role do their fungal symbionts play in the infestation? In a basic research project, entomologist Sigrid Netherer and her team succeeded in furnishing the first empirical evidence that drought-stressed spruce trees […] Continue reading “How spruce meets bark beetle”