Climate researcher blames human activity for hot, dry summer

Climate researcher Gottfried Kirchengast says the heat and drought of the past summer were clearly caused by human activity, ORF reported. The effects were felt in agriculture, schools and workplaces, as well as in increased demand for air conditioning.

Kirchengast, from the University of Graz’s Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change, said the summer was unprecedented, with temperatures and dryness many times higher than in earlier summers.

“If you look at previous decades and compare them with this year and even the past decade, the heat energy is ten times greater,” Kirchengast said. He linked the increase to follow-on damage including low water levels, problems in agriculture and difficulties in the energy sector.

He said about 80 percent of such major events could be attributed to human influence, adding that reducing this influence through climate protection was an important preventive task.

Greens call for climate investment

Greens parliamentary group leader Sandra Krautwaschl said the party’s position had been confirmed and called for investment to protect people in Styria from the consequences of extreme heat.

The Greens are demanding a climate protection investment fund. Krautwaschl said funding should support heat-resistant housing and help people who cannot afford it to renovate their homes and improve protection against heat and cold.

The party also wants continued major expansion of renewable energy to help ensure affordable electricity prices in the long term. The Greens will submit a motion to the Styrian parliament and hope other parties will support it.