Many researchers across the globe are reacting to the unprecedented climate-, biodiversity- and sustainability-crises which currently face our planet and humanity. In South Tyrol, we would also like to strengthen the voice of science as it contributes to objective political discussion and promotes constructive dialogue. For this reason, with the support of our German colleagues we founded the first “Italian regional group” of SCIENTISTS FOR FUTURE (S4F South Tyrol), together we are “scientists for a sustainable future in South Tyrol”.
The central concern of the S4F in general is to actively introduce the current state of science in a well-founded and understandable form into the social debate on sustainability and future security. In this way, scientists support the political decision-making process and contribute to improving the future orientation of socio-political decisions.
As people who are familiar with scientific work and who are very concerned about current developments, we scientists see it as our social responsibility to assess current developments on the basis of scientific findings, to point out the consequences of insufficient action and to call attention to options for action.
In 2019, more than 27,000 scientists in German-speaking countries published this statement on the protests for greater climate protection, in which they emphasise that the concerns of the young protestors are justified. On the website of S4F Germany you will also find 24 important facts and more material on the topic.
The COVID-19 crisis has shown that rapid change is possible through decisive action. Now it is important to shape the way out of the COVID-19 crisis in such a way that climate change and species extinction is decisively counteracted. More than ever, we need a change towards sustainable, resilient and fair ways of life and production.
📄 Press release from September 25th 2020 (PDF, in German and Italian)
Scientists for Future is an open network
We would like to invite all South Tyrolean and South Tyrolean scientists from all disciplines and language groups to support this initiative. More information here.
Climate change in South Tyrol
In South Tyrol temperatures have risen by an average of 1.5 °C since records began, and even by 2 °C during summer months. The summer of 2019 was the third warmest summer on record, and on October 3rd 2019, the highest ever measured temperatures for October were measured at 30 °C; January 2020 was also almost 2 °C above average. Read more about climate change in South Tyrol here.
Climate change: COVID-19 in slow motion?
The COVID-19 pandemic is clearly the greatest global crisis and challenge for our society since World War II. It came over us like a tsunami, with a force and rapidity that overwhelmed our well-organized European systems, and its economic impact will be felt for years.
However, another more insidious global crisis continues unabated: man-made climate change and its consequences for both the environment and our society as a whole.
Some mechanisms of the COVID-19 crisis and how to cope with it can be compared to coping with climate change, only that the climate crisis takes place in extreme slow motion. What is a month with COVID-19, is decades with climate-change.
More on this in Marc Zebisch’s blog post (in Italian or German) and in this interview (in German).