News

New groundbreaking computation method for climate extremes

How much will heat, flooding, drought and storms increase as a result of human-induced climate change? In a groundbreaking study, climate researcher Gottfried Kirchengast and his team at the University of Graz have developed a new method for computing the hazards from extreme events: it can compute all relevant hazard metrics for events such as heat waves, floods and droughts in any region worldwide with unprecedented information content. Using it for Europe, the researchers found that anthropogenic climate change has caused a tenfold increase in extreme heat in recent decades. The study, published in the journal Weather and Climate Extremes, also provides a basis for better quantifying the damage to people, ecosystems and infrastructure.

University of Graz study shows: public money for climate adaptation pays off

In order to plug the budget gap, the state is currently pinching pennies. However, when it comes to adapting to climate change, investing helps to save money. This is shown by a recently published study by the Wegener Centre at the University of Graz. "Our analyses show that protective measures more than pay off in the medium term," summarises lead author Eva Preinfalk.

New measurements: University of Graz researchers show what causes Greenland's glaciers to melt

Melting glaciers in the Arctic are causing sea levels to rise, threatening coastal regions. The meltwater flowing into the North Atlantic can change ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream, which have a significant influence on the climate in Europe. In order to better explain glacier retreat, a research team from the University of Graz has now analysed air temperature and weather conditions at the Flade Isblink ice cap in northern Greenland. This second-largest body of ice on the island has been increasingly losing thickness since 2008. The results have been published in the journal The Cryosphere.

Wie Geo-Engineering auf Klima-Abkommen wirkt, untersucht Michael Finus

Um den Klimawandel zu bremsen, sollen nicht nur emissionsreduzierende Maßnahmen helfen. Es gibt Überlegungen, technologische Eingriffe vorzunehmen. Sogenannte Geo-Engineering-Methoden umfassen zum Beispiel den Einsatz chemischer Substanzen in der Stratosphäre, um die Sonneneinstrahlung zu verringern. In wie weit sich schon eine derartige Androhung – gewissermaßen als Druckmittel – auswirken könnte, damit Staaten Klimaabkommen ernst nehmen und umsetzen, untersucht Michael Finus, Wissenschaftler für Klima und Umweltökonomie

The dark side of life: new method developed to identify soil organisms

A large number of soil animals are smaller than one millimetre and are therefore difficult to study scientifically. Biologists from the University of Graz have now developed a method to determine both the shape and the DNA of the organisms. The results have been published in the journal Geoderma.

ACRP - 18. Call: Jetzt klimarelevante Forschung für Österreich einreichen

Das Austrian Climate Research Programme (ACRP) fördert orientierte Grundlagenforschung zu Klimawandel, Anpassung, Minderung und Transformation. Reichen Sie bis 15.04.2026 Ihre Projektidee ein.

2. Österreichischer Hitzeaktionstag (“Austrian Heat Action Day”)

On 9 June 2026, the 2nd Austrian Heat Action Day will take place. The aim of the Heat Action Day is to further strengthen heat protection measures and to sustainably raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on human health.

Setback: Austria's greenhouse gas emissions rise in 2025

Climate protection is currently facing an uphill battle. The United Nations have recently been unable to agree on a roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels, even though global warming continues to accelerate. Also Austria still does not have a national climate law with a clear target path for reducing emissions. This is evidently taking its toll: Austria’s greenhouse gas emissions rose again in 2025 for the first time in years, by around two and a half percent, according to calculations by researchers at the University of Graz. In addition to overly cautious climate action measures, this is due to somewhat colder winter months compared to 2024, which are driving up natural gas consumption.

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Reiz-Thema

Die Erde heizt sich auf. Gleichzeitig aber wächst die Zahl derer, die nichts mehr davon hören wollen. Was könnte sie umstimmen? Hermine Mitter…

Green Academia Award for Earth Sciences, Business Administration and History

A high number of publications in prestigious research journals in combination with climate-friendly behaviour when it comes to international business…