Anna Strigl and Maria Blomenhofer - MSc ETIA students, class 2021-2023 - share their thoughts on the occasion:

“This day is a reminder for all of us to celebrate environmental action. Since the first environment day in 1973, this day is gaining importance, because humans are using up more resources than available.

Global warming, flooding, pandemics, natural disasters and the extinction of endangered species are only a few consequences of Climate Change.

The topic of this years environment day is Ecosystem Restoration. ‘There has never been a more urgent need to revive damaged ecosystems than now’, states the UN. So, what exactly do we need to restore our ecosystem for? First of all, without a functioning ecosystem, there is no basis for continuing human, animal, and plant life. We depend on the different ecosystems to sustain our future, but as there has been so much damage done during the last century, they currently are not able to. A two-sided approach is needed: on one hand, we need to prevent more damage to our environment, to biodiversity, to this world. On the other hand, we finally need to take responsibility for the harm done and restore the basis for our being.  This is what this day is about: raising awareness and taking action. 

Only an effort on multiple levels, systemic, social, political, and individual gives us a chance to secure life on earth.”

The interdisciplinary MSc Environmental Technology & International Affairs is a joint program of the TU Wien and the Diplomatic Academy Vienna. This pioneering project enables graduates to understand and analyze the relevant scientific and technical issues, while at the same time providing them with a sound knowledge of international affairs.