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Current climate goals require the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, how this should happen is up for debate. Researchers at the University of Vienna and the Potsdam Research Institute for Sustainability took a close look at the emission reduction plans of major EU industry sectors and found a substantial but underspecified reliance on uncertain carbon removal technologies. This enables them to project currently highly emission-intensive business models into the future.

While mostly hidden, groundwater is of central importance to surface ecosystems and human society. Christian Griebler, researcher at the University of Vienna and ECH-member, recently contributed to a new global model of groundwater temperature that predicts the effects of climate change on this subterranean ecosystem.

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.

An international team of scientists, including Andreas Stohl, ECH member, meteorologist and Vice Dean at the Faculty of Earth Sciences, Geography and Astronomy at the University of Vienna, used information stored in ice cores to model lead air pollution in the Roman Empire – and its likely consequences for human cognitive function.

With “Biodiversity Austria – International,” Austria is strengthening its role in global biodiversity policy.

The new interface connects local researchers with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). Developed under the leadership of ECH member Alice Vadrot, it brings international insights into national policy and promotes cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Laura Koesten, researcher at the Research Group Visualization and Data Analysis from the University of Vienna and ECH member is being honored for her work in the field of artificial intelligence and data interaction. With a focus on human-technology interaction, she makes data-based decisions more transparent and understandable. The prize is endowed with €10,000.