In front of ÖVP party headquarters

Scientists protest against climate policy

Around 100 scientists demonstrated against the ÖVP's climate policy in Vienna on Thursday morning.(Bild: APA/Nikolaus Pichler)

Around 100 scientists protested against the federal government's climate policy on Thursday morning. They gathered in front of the ÖVP party headquarters in Vienna's Lichtenfelsgasse. The People's Party has become a "climate-denying movement", criticized the Scientists For Future.

It still does not take the climate crisis seriously, they said in a speech by Reinhard Steurer, Professor of Climate Policy at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU). The ÖVP and the Chamber of Commerce are to blame for the fact that only a fraction of the relevant agreements in the government program have been implemented. Important EU environmental policy decisions were also being sabotaged. Steurer was excused at short notice and the Alliance read out his contribution.

A climate policy with common sense is like a pandemic policy with horse deworming medication: deadly charlatanry for many.

Reinhold Steurer, Scientists For Future

"Common senseinstead ofcommon sense"
 On Thursday, Scientists For Future called for "common sense instead of common sense". They were referring to Chancellor Karl Nehammer's (ÖVP) "climate policy with common sense". "A climate policy with common sense is like a pandemic policy with horse dewormers: deadly charlatanry for many," criticized Steurer.

The alliance wants to counter this with factual arguments. The change in values towards a climate-friendly lifestyle is "difficult, but inevitable." The areas of mobility and nutrition were cited as examples.

Questions on climate suitability announced
The scientists announced that they would be asking politicians questions about the climate suitability of their election programs ahead of the National Council and EU elections. Other climate movements will also be involved. The answers would be published and scientifically classified. Among the participants in the protest were Leonore Theurer, a judge at the Regional Court for Civil Matters, and Willi Haas, Deputy Head of the Institute for Social Ecology at BOKU.