Katharina Rogenhofer is the face of the young Austrian climate movement. In this interview, we talk to her about what her book has changed, how to lure visionless decision-makers out of their shell and what moments of happiness life as a climate activist has in store.
Your book is entitled "If nothing changes, everything changes". Why do we find it so difficult to embrace change for the climate transition?
K. Rogenhofer: I think most people want to change something. I am asked so often: "What can I do now? How can I become part of the solution?" Very few people just sit back and say: "I don't care about the future". But it's hard for us to get across the idea of what the world could look like after the climate transition. It could be an extremely self-empowering tool to share such an idea with others.
Personally, I find it extremely motivating to imagine that it could be beautiful and good and that we can have a cleaner, more liveable, communal, fair future. A future in which I can say with more conviction: "I want to bring children into this world." That's what carries me through activism.
Current discussions about doing without and going back to the Stone Age are probably also falling on fertile ground because we can't yet imagine the future. If I can't imagine the future, I'm very afraid of losing what I have through change. But if I know what this future could look like, change may no longer lead to sacrifice, but to gain.
How did it come about that not only climate information, but also your very personal story found a place?
K. Rogenhofer: I didn't want to write an abstract book. It was a conscious decision not to leave out the personal aspects of our lives. Through the personal story, we also want to appeal to people who don't normally turn to non-fiction books.
What feedback have you received about the book?
K. Rogenhofer: I was surprised at how great the response was. The reviews were so positive. Many people reported that they had understood the climate issue for the first time. Some well-known people have also recommended the book. It has obviously ended up in some central places. Some journalists have reported back that they read the book - as an introduction to the climate issue, so to speak - because it provides a good overview.
Suppose you had to write a travel guide for Vienna in the year 2030. Are the pieces of the puzzle already falling into place in your head?
K. Rogenhofer: Partly. I sometimes try to imagine what it will be like to walk through my front door onto the street in the future. Maybe it won't be a street at all? In any case, it's much quieter. And the air is clean. Maybe children will even play where there used to be a street. People are probably going for a walk, bicycles are passing by. Maybe there's a market. You can see photovoltaic systems on the roofs of well-insulated houses.
Everything is green, the facades, the streets, the roofs. There are lots of trees and butterflies and insects are flying around. The public space has been transformed from a concrete jungle into a living space. Much more is happening there now. We may even have brought the rivers, which today run underground, back to the surface and use them for local recreation.
If we have done everything right, I hope that it will also be a more peaceful world in which news of war and people having to flee will decrease. Because it is possible to negotiate things peacefully without fighting over resources.
For a real travel guide, I would have to invest a lot more imagination. But I would like to think about it. Especially with people who often deal with such topics, e.g. artists.
Imagine a group of visionless decision-makers. How would you lure them out of their shell?
K. Rogenhofer: As a first step, I would try to get these people out of their roles. Discussions are often like this when you sit at the table with your role. Then it's just an exchange of well-known points of view.
I would try - from person to person - to talk about what is important to them, what values and future aspirations they have for their children and grandchildren. And develop a vision from these personal aspects, a future that they want for the next generation. Exploring the cornerstones of this world together.
To be able to say to children in the future: You will be much better off than me one day. You will have every opportunity to make your own choices.
What impression did the last climate negotiations (COP26) leave on you?
K. Rogenhofer: I had a realistic idea of what the outcome would be, namely very little. On a global level, we are not yet far enough for ambition. After three strong years of the climate movement, it was still disappointing. For me, the challenge now is not to let up and to keep up the pressure in the individual countries. If courageous action is taken there, other countries can be carried along.
This focus also increases the individual's scope for action: I have less of a feeling that I can change global climate policy. But I can change Austrian climate policy.
Physically, it is still possible to bring about the climate turnaround. Fortunately, we don't have to negotiate with physics, but with politics. And people can change, change their decisions or be voted out of office.
Let's say you had a happy moments jar for the best moments of your climate protection career. What moments would be in it?
K. Rogenhofer: I think the moments of happiness I've had have always been the moments when you get the feeling that we're making a difference. The first of these moments was definitely the first global climate strike on March 15, 2019, when we had no idea how many people would turn up. We were afraid that nobody would care. It was such a relieving moment to see the crowds streaming onto Heldenplatz. Suddenly there was a sea of heads. It really gives you strength when you realize you're not alone. There are so many people who are getting up and taking action right now.
Another moment was when the climate referendum got a motion through parliament. For the first time, a majority of MPs agreed to some of our demands - although not all of them.
Private moments of happiness arise when I connect with what we are actually fighting for. I love being out in nature and hearing leaves rustling, lying in the grass, going hiking, enjoying the view from the mountain and watching animals. In short, to marvel at everything that lives on our earth. These are moments of happiness that give me strength and make me think: "Wow, I want to keep doing this!"
What moments of happiness could be in store in the future?
K. Rogenhofer: We are living in 2022 and we know about the climate crisis. But we don't have a national climate protection law (note: Austria) that sets out the path to the much-promised climate neutrality by 2040. And there are still climate-damaging subsidies. We must continue to fight to change this.
And that frees up opportunities for imagination: because we know that this is the way, this is our goal, these are individual measures. Perhaps we still need to discuss one or two things socially. But this is precisely what gives us the space to develop visions of the future for all areas of society that will lead us to climate neutrality in 2040.
Do you already know what you'll be doing when the climate turnaround is finally achieved?
K. Rogenhofer: I definitely didn't want to have to deal with the climate crisis. After all, I studied zoology. I would probably be implementing nature and species conservation projects. For example, in renaturation projects, chiseling up rivers and giving them back their space. In any case, it would be outdoor work with little screen time.
