If we want to slow down climate change, CO2 emissions must be drastically reduced. This requires a radical reorientation of the economy and society. Together with her team, Ilona M. Otto is researching which measures are suitable for rapidly bringing about sustainable change. “Among other things, we need more efficient climate policy instruments that target the richest. After all, 0.5 percent of the world's richest people cause more CO2 emissions than 50 percent of the poorest,” says the sociologist and resource economist. This is not so much about the relationship between the Global North and South, but about social groups on all continents who have enormous wealth, similar lifestyles and a great deal of power to change things.
Univ. Prof. Dr. Ilona M. Otto
+43 316 380 - 8464
Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change
https://homepage.uni-graz.at/en/ilona.otto
How do we tip the system?
The path towards climate neutrality requires a transformation of our economy and society. A mammoth task. But even relatively small changes are often enough to set off a chain reaction and tip a system in a positive direction. In a special edition of UNIZEIT magazine, Ilona M. Otto explains how this can work.
Read the article "Das System kippen" (German only)
How do we save the world?
How can all people in the world lead a life in dignity and meet their basic needs without the earth collapsing? In a study, an international team of scientists, including Ilona M. Otto, investigated the extent to which social goals, such as the eradication of poverty, can be reconciled with climate and environmental protection.