UniNEtZ SDG 13 in the Austrian Parliament

Transdisciplinary dialog with political actors is key to advancing the transformation of society. The cooperation on the 2030 Agenda with the Austrian Parliament, which began in September 2022 as part of the activities of Priority Area I, offers an effective platform for advancing this dialog.

Parliament's plenary lounge on May 24, 2023 was dedicated to SDG 13 Climate Action. The thematic focus was on raising awareness of how urgent it is to take climate protection measures to counteract the climate crisis and the opportunities that arise from the synergies with many other SDGs in order to be able to act effectively.

The UniNEtZ SDG 13 team (represented by Ingeborg Schwarzl, Claudia Michl, Lisa Waldschütz, all CCCA) had numerous inspiring and interesting discussions with SDG ambassadors of the Parliament, MPs and staff of MPs of almost all parties represented in Parliament.

The urgency to act was illustrated using a bathtub model. The current amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is simulated using water, and the colorful balloons filled with water correspond to the GHG emissions per sector that are added each year. The model is based on the figures for the remaining GHG budget for paper and the latest emissions report from the Federal Environment Agency.

Numerous discussions were held on climate change in general, the resulting cross-cutting issues and the proposed solutions from the UniNEtZ Options Report. In addition to the bathtub model, the UniNEtZ Options Report and slide sets (climate change in general, cross-cutting issues) formed the basis for this.

Another highlight was an SDG 13 quiz based around questions on problems and solutions from the UniNEtZ Options Report and beyond. The aim here was also to identify challenges and discuss proposed solutions.

Under this motto, parliamentarians were invited to anonymously share their visions of the future for 2030+ and ideas for solutions in a Menti survey. You can find the results below.

As always, the UniNEtZ Priority Area I team was also on site. In the afternoon, the UniNEtZ SDG 6 team also came to visit the site in preparation for the next SDG Day.