"Problems are known"

Blame for the floods? Expert tears politics apart

(Bild: Antal Imre/Krone KREATIV)

After the catastrophic storms, politicians are once again staging themselves as saviors in times of need. However, scientists are certain that they are partly to blame for this misery. An analysis.

Sad and terrible days are shaking Austria. The floods also highlight dramatic failures. The keyword here is "building over". Austria is the European champion. And still is. "The problem has been known for 15 years," emphasizes climate researcher and "Krone" columnist Helga Kromp-Kolb.

This is how many hectares of nature are built on every day
Every day, around 11.5 hectares of the country, which is much praised for its beautiful nature, are built on. Irrevocably. Areas that are also responsible for the occurrence of floods. Because they cannot absorb water. Kromp-Kolb: "The main culprits are the provincial governors who successfully prevented the Soil Protection Act."

The main culprits are the provincial governors who successfully prevented the Soil Protection Act.

Helga Kromp-Kolb, Klimaforscherin und „Krone“-Kolumnistin 

"Castles in the air driven by ideology"
And who now like to present themselves as saviors in times of need. Yet they regularly block the implementation of the target of 2.5 hectares per day. Arguments come from the (ÖVP-dominated) federal states such as: "Castles in the air driven by ideology" are not realistic and far removed from "reason and pragmatism"; or "an absolute number does not protect a hectare of land."

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The presidents of municipalities in the recent past are fueling this narrative. In addition, agricultural land is sufficiently protected.

Austria has the most supermarkets
The Greens, led by Werner Kogler, are stunned, as is Kromp-Kolb. The scientific findings are clear. If you build, you lose - at least when it comes to nature conservation. Kromp-Kolb: "Obviously it doesn't work without coercion. You have to force the federal states or the state governors."

Helga Kromp-Kolb

(Bild: Peter Tomschi)

Burgenland as a positive counter-example
However, Kromp-Kolb also mentions positive counter-movements, such as in Burgenland. There, people are trying to act across municipalities so that development does not get too out of hand. Austria is the EU country with the most supermarkets per capita (50 percent more than Germany). Supermarkets need a lot of space. Also for parking spaces. "A double negative trend can be observed. These industrial parks are being built around towns where you can get everything, and the town centers are dying out." Other facts: Soils are top CO2 scavengers. When soil is sealed, carbon is released on the one hand, but no more can be absorbed on the other.

No rethink in sight
Will the current events bring about a rethink? "I'm afraid not," says Kromp-Kolb. "There have always been bad events. The causes are known. Nothing has changed." After the upcoming elections, other things will quickly become more important. "But those affected will not be forgotten."