Changing Society

Invasive alien species are among the most underestimated drivers of biodiversity loss. What happens when this complex challenge becomes a board game? Developed by biodiversity researcher Bernd Lenzner and colleagues, Raccoon Rampage turns research into a playable experience, showing how ecological change, political decisions and public perception interact, and why invasive alien species require attention before their impacts become irreversible.

How can humanity feed a growing global population without undermining the ecological systems that sustain life? The EAT-Lancet Report offers a scientifically grounded vision for healthy diets within planetary boundaries. Researchers from the Environment and Climate Research Hub (ECH) reflect on its relevance - from biodiversity and plant resilience to pollution, food systems, and human behaviour.

The EAT-Lancet report presents a bold vision for sustainable nutrition. However, changing people's eating habits requires more than that: In this interview, environmental psychologist Sabine Pahl explains how culture, identity, and habits influence food choices, and why insights from the social and behavioural sciences are essential to turn planetary health goals into real-world action.

Alexandra Brausmann, environmental economist at the University of Vienna, examines the EAT-Lancet Report through an economic lens, focusing on what it means for policy, prices, and incentives. She discusses how shifts in diets could reshape markets and inequalities - and why reflecting the true environmental and health costs of food in prices and policy decisions is essential for creating sustainable and politically viable food systems.

When science speaks, society benefits. Climate research is too urgent and complex to remain within academia. For the ECH, silence is not an option. This is why the ECH reaches out to society to communicate complex environmental research.

Governments promised a green transition – yet emissions keep rising. New research from ECH members Ulrich Brand, Alina Brad, and Etienne Schneider in 'Nature Climate Change' reveals why the ‘decarbonisation state’ hits structural limits - and how a true transformation might redefine prosperity, justice, and the role of the state itself.

Observing nature can help us feel less pain. Now, for the first time, brain scans confirm what we subjectively feel, and point to why our perception of pain might change. Surprisingly, even virtual nature distracts our attention away from processing pain at a basic neurophysiological level. The researchers hope that this will also draw attention to how important nature is for our health and why we should protect it.

Science (and scientists) are increasingly confronted with criticism and the political dimension of their work. However, history suggests that not all criticism is the same. Some movements that have challenged scientific authority have ultimately driven social and scientific change. Should we revisit them today?

Under the Kyoto Protocol, countries must report their greenhouse gas emissions, including one of the most potent greenhouse gases: Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), used mainly as an insulator in the electrical industry. But the numbers don’t add up. A team of meteorologists has now published both global and regional SF6 emissions, confirming the discrepancies.

European researchers are creating an online tool that maps the entire ocean. Will it lead to more science-based diplomatic negotiations or just perpetuate existing problems? A political science perspective.

Literature cannot stop climate change, says ECH Member Eva Horn, a literary and cultural studies scholar at the University of Vienna. Yet, it can teach us much about how climate has always shaped human perception. We talked to her about insights from a humanities perspective.

Science has shown that a global approach is needed to stop plastic pollution. An international team, including environmental psychologist Sabine Pahl from the University of Vienna, sees the upcoming UN negotiations in South Korea (Nov 2024) as a historic chance for joint action. Their recent review in Science stresses the urgency of a global treaty to curb plastic pollution.