Leonore Gewessler: One year between reconstruction and discontent

Austria is grappling with an extreme heatwave, leading to significant challenges for agriculture and highlighting the impacts of climate change. Crops like pumpkins are suffering from sunburn, forcing farmers to harvest them prematurely to prevent further damage from the intense heat.

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I can choose whether the pumpkins burn or my people in the field burn.

Farmers at the Adamah Biohof in Marchfeld are harvesting pumpkins that would normally be associated with cooler autumn weather. The high temperatures are causing the vegetables to burn directly in the fields. One farmer noted the difficult choice between losing the crop to the sun or risking the health of workers in the fields.

The heatwave is exacerbating water scarcity for farmers, impacting irrigation and crop yields. This situation is becoming a political issue, with some municipalities in Upper Austria already banning the filling of swimming pools. Leonore Gewessler, leader of the Green Party and former climate minister, has launched a summer campaign titled "Highly Unjust" to draw attention to the unequal impact of the heatwave.

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Even if it sounds harsh, it is perhaps the coolest summer of our lives, because it will get worse. And precisely because of this, it is so important that we now set all levers in motion to adapt.

Gewessler argues that the heat disproportionately affects individuals without access to cooling resources like swimming pools or mountain retreats. She stresses the urgent need for government action to adapt to the changing climate. Current calculations from the Wegener Center in Graz indicate that 75% of the current heatwave is attributable to human-caused climate change, a reality that is increasingly becoming the daily norm for farmers whose harvest seasons are shifting and who rely heavily on irrigation.

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Highly Unjust