ETH News

A nature-based economy that regenerates ecosystems and stops species extinction? Christoph K¨¹ffer believes this is possible if we strengthen ecology in research and education and make ecological expertise a basic skill for society. ?

Nature is not a ¡®nice to have¡¯ ¨C it¡¯s our life support system. Dwindling biodiversity endangers the very foundation of our existence. A turnaround is possible, but only if we all want it, says Christoph K¨¹ffer.

It¡¯s 2020 and Christoph Kueffer is now into his fifth year of (almost) not flying. Whereas not flying hasn¡¯t been difficult, talking about social change still is, he asserts.

It¡¯s getting warmer, the gardens are in bloom ¨C spring at last! A deceptively idyllic scene. Something is missing. Christoph K¨¹ffer calls for us to stop looking the other way and take action.

Due to digitisation, ecologists are working less and less in the field. Christoph K¨¹ffer believes that we should not rely solely on digital data, and puts the case for field research.

Although we have known the causes of our environmental problems and possible solutions for decades, not much has changed. Christoph K¨¹ffer asks why.

The key instrument in the protection of species ¨C the red list¨C is a register of particularly rare species. The principle is that the rarer a species, the more urgent are the measures to prevent its extinction. However, this distracts from the fact that Nature should be rich in common species.

Scientists fought energetically to set climate goals, and now they must act. And this is where flying is an ideal test opportunity: public awareness already exists, technical solutions are unlikely, and giving up flying requires innovation from the scientific community.

Many people see privately funded research as a threat to academic independence, but this is an incomplete view. Experts with close connections to politics and business are a logical consequence of a knowledge-based society. It is time for a fundamental debate on responsible research partnerships.

It¡¯s a conflict we all know, but it weighs particularly heavily on environmental scientists: air travel allows researchers to take part in international projects to discuss problems face-to-face, but it¡¯s also damaging our climate and our environment. It¡¯s a classic dilemma, and solving it will take creativity and a little sacrifice. A personal experiment.

Recently I attended a transdisciplinary international conference on environmental justice at Franklin University Switzerland in Lugano. It featured a potpourri of themes that might have led to nothing but confusion. But rather than leaving me dazed, these crosscurrents of thinking helped to clarify several questions that have bothered me for some time.

Slow Food, Slow Mobility, und passend zum Fr¨¹hling Slow Gardening. Entschleunigung ist im Trend. Mehr bewusste Langsamkeit fordert auch Slow Science: Die Forschung sei zu hastig, einseitig und kompetitiv geworden. Dabei braucht gerade die Nachhaltigkeit viel Zeit.

Vor 25 Jahren wurde Paul Feyerabend als Professor der ETH Z¨¹rich emeritiert. Er war ein Weltstar der Philosophie, der wichtige Grundsteine f¨¹r die moderne Umweltforschung gelegt hat. Und er galt als Anarchist.

Ecopop thematisierte die gr?sste Herausforderung unserer Zeit ¨C die Grenzen des Bev?lkerungswachstums und der Ressourcen ¨C auf der Basis eines ungeeigneten L?sungsansatzes. Nun ist die Initiative an der Urne gescheitert. Die eigentliche Problematik bleibt jedoch bestehen. Wir m¨¹ssen uns dieser Herausforderung stellen ¨C und jetzt damit beginnen.

In der Arktis und der W¨¹ste zeigt sich die Natur von ihrer hartn?ckigsten Seite, in? Regenw?ldern von ihrer ¨¹ppigsten. Auf Inseln findet man beides: vielf?ltige ?kosysteme auf von Vulkanausbr¨¹chen gepr?gten, kargen Felsen mitten im Meer. Aber gerade auf Inseln ist die Biodiversit?t besonders gef?hrdet.

Scientific evidence shows that our society is on a perilous trajectory. Fundamental lifestyle changes are urgently needed, but we consume more, we travel more, we talk more about unavoidable collapse, while we think less about alternatives.

Wie lassen sich Umwelt- und Gesundheitskosten von neuen Technologien vermeiden? Mit dieser Frage besch?ftigte sich ein langj?hriges Forschungsprojekt der Europ?ischen Umweltbeh?rde. Der ehemalige Leiter des Projekts, David Gee, hat k¨¹rzlich an der ETH Z¨¹rich erl?utert, wie uns vergangene Fehler lehren, zuk¨¹nftige Umweltprobleme zu vermeiden.