Project title: Austria’s climatic challenges

  National selected winner

GRG 19 Billrothstraße 73   Vienna   Austria

Analysis on Austria’s carbon dioxide and methane emissions, the effects of climate change on tourism and geofactors, and the long-term parameters of lakes in Austria

Our study includes a lot of literature research and analyses. We conducted these analyses on datasets gathered from across Austria. These datasets encompassed information from diverse sources, including our school’s weather station, measuring devices operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), and hydrographical centers located in Lower Austria, Carinthia, Burgenland and Upper Austria. Statistical analyses were performed using Excel, as well as programming languages such as Python and SAS.
Due to human activities over the past centuries (in particular after the industrial revolution), CO2 and methane emissions have surpassed levels seen in the past one million years. Reasons for that include burning fossil fuels for energy, but also industrial livestock farming.
In our study, we analyzed different water parameters of Austria’s lakes providing us with valuable insights into the fluctuations of water level and temperature, particularly at Lake Neusiedl, Lake Woertherse, Lake Ossiach, Lake Attersee, and Lake Zicksee. We observed trends reflecting the influence of climate change on these aquatic ecosystems. Correlations between precipitation, water levels, and temperature changes were also observed. Our findings emphasize the importance of continuous monitoring of these parameters and understanding seasonal variations.
Climate change is reshaping our world, impacting tourism and geofactors in many ways. The changes it brings, such as altered weather patterns and habitat destruction, pose significant challenges to both wildlife and tourism. On the other hand, tourism activities contribute to the problem itself, by emitting carbon dioxide and disrupting natural habitats. We must prioritize sustainable practices in tourism and conservation efforts to reduce carbon emissions, protect biodiversity and combat climate change.

Analysis on Austria’s carbon dioxide and methane emissions, the effects of climate change on tourism and geofactors, and the long-term parameters of lakes in Austria

Our school’s motto, “Die Schule im Grünen” or “The School in Green,” reflects our commitment to create a greener environment. Our school initiated various ideas and implemented them to fight against climate change and protect our environment. For instance, the members of our “GRG 19 Space Team” (https://www.instagram.com/parallax.spaceteam/) participate on a voluntary basis and in their free time in various interdisciplinary projects in the field of ecology, climate and – of course – space and earth observation. The initiatives introduced by us and our school resulted in improving climate related subjects, e.g., the schools recycling system, the photovoltaic system at the school and the reduction of plastic waste in the buffet. In our garden there are areas that are just very rarely mowed, to create an optimal environment for insects and plants. The beekeeping project of our school also promotes the local biodiversity through related projects. Based on one of our projects, ESA provided us with a weather station, whose data was also used for this project. As we try to act as multipliers, we have made the collected data available to the public (https://portal.billroth73.at/weather). To increase our reach, we have also created a project profile on Instagram (https://kurzelinks.de/Greenday).

All these projects are actively fighting climate change and trying to help slow it down. At our school festival, we also have a booth where we present our projects and give lots of tips on how we can reduce our daily carbon footprint. Our goal is to raise awareness and educate others about climate change, as we can only succeed together. All our projects actively fight against climate change and try to help slow it down.

https://www.instagram.com/climate.detectives.greenday/

Greenday_Austria_Climate_Detectives_2024.pdf

Projects are created by the teams and they take the full responsibility of the shared data.
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