Gloomy balance sheet

Gloomy results: climate change hits hard

It was already warmer than average in spring this year, and the situation looks similar in late summer.

(Bild: Alexander Jeglitsch - stock.adobe.com)

Natural disasters are making life particularly difficult for our farmers and winegrowers this year. The damage is record-breaking: and the next wave of heat and severe weather is already approaching. If the unscrupulous farming continues, we need not be surprised by the consequences, experts told the "Krone" newspaper.

The situation could not be bleaker for agriculture this year. Meteorologists recorded the warmest February and the hottest March in recorded history in their charts. And next week will probably surpass the summer of the century 2003 in terms of heat and temperatures above the long-term average.

But this has had and continues to have a direct impact on fields, meadows and farmland. This is because the start of vegetation this year was three to four weeks earlier - and the very cold second half of April led to severe frost damage in fruit growing and viticulture.

Hail hit farmers and winegrowers hard in large parts of Austria this year.

(Bild: Jochen Hanauer)

In May, the weather extremes reached their first dramatic peak with the start of the hail season: storms with veritable ice projectiles, storms and heavy rain damaged crops across all federal states.

200 million euros in total damage
The situation due to the drought (despite record rainfall in Vienna, Lower Austria and Tyrol last weekend)? "The lack of rainfall and the heat of the past few weeks are particularly noticeable in autumn crops such as maize, soy, sugar beet and grassland. The east of the country is particularly affected, where significant crop losses are becoming apparent. At present, total losses are expected to amount to 200 million euros, half of which is due to the risk of drought alone," says the hail insurance company in an initial interim assessment.

The situation for agriculture - with its open-air "workshop" - is worrying due to climate change, because 80 percent of the yield depends on the weather.

The focal point is Upper Austria, where nature struck back in Vöcklabruck, Grieskirchen, Schärding, Wels-Land and Braunau am Inn. In just two days of hail around July 10, farmers suffered losses of three million euros. As reported, Viennese winegrowers were not spared either. Heavy hail smashed grapes worth 500,000 euros in Rieden am Nussberg. This is far from over. The hail season, for example, lasts until mid-September.

A glimmer of hope on the Katschberg between Carinthia and Salzburg: Christoph Hofmayer is currently producing a very good hop harvest for his "Katschbeer" in Austria's highest brewery at 1670 meters above sea level.

Small ray of hope: The "Katschberg" hops were spared.

(Bild: Roland Holitzky)

"Building on nature will take its revenge!"
 But: "If we continue to build so unscrupulously, we need not be surprised at the consequences. On the contrary: the destruction of nature will take even greater revenge," says Hagel Insurance Director Dr. Kurt Weinberger in response to recent natural disasters.

Similarly concerned: Dr. Helmut Habersack, Head of the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering, Hydraulics and River Research at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna: "On the one hand, the risk of flooding is increasing because there is more water vapour in the atmosphere as a result of higher temperatures due to climate change and heavy rainfall events are increasing. On the other hand, the potential for damage is growing, as 12 hectares are still being used every day in Austria."

Soil sealing and building development are seen as major drivers of flood risk.

(Bild: Melanie Hutter)

The crux of the matter, in his view, is that a large proportion of these are floodplains. This also increases the risk of flooding downstream. "Deconstruction and a reduction in land consumption are urgently needed," concludes the local expert.