Our Stories

Our members, meteorologist Andreas Stohl and pharmaceutical scientist Lea Ann Dailey, are part of the new FWF-funded project AERIAL. The team investigates how micro- and nanoplastics move from oceans into the atmosphere, how they spread globally, and what potential health impact they have. The €4.8m project aims to reshape understanding of airborne plastic pollution.

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.

The Alps are warming rapidly, and winter as we know it is fading. Why are plants, people and the ski industry struggling to adapt? Can artificial snow buy enough time, and what is needed to maintain quality of life in the mountains? Research by ECH members Valentina Ausserladscheider and Stefan Dullinger offers some answers. A story of snowmaking, climate pressures, and cultural lethargy.

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.