PhD Projekt – Integrative Perspectives on Natural Hazards and Society in Alpine Valleys
Seit 02/2015 (Universität Graz, Doctoral Academy Graz, Doktoratsschule Geographie und Raumforschung, FWF-Doktoratskolleg Klimawandel: Klimawandel - Unsicherheiten, Schwellenwerte und Strategien)
Kurzbeschreibung
The aim of the PhD project is to investigate natural hazards in three Alpine valley regions in Austria in an integrative approach, looking on both the physical as well as on the human dimension of natural hazards. The special characteristic of the project is the close interdisciplinary cooperation between geography, economics and philosophy. The research is built on the following pillars:
One part deals with the human dimension of Alpine natural hazards by investigating the hazard and risk perception of the local population, including local knowledge and communication. Information is obtained via questionnaires answered by the local population and interviews with stakeholders, and is integrated into a human-ecological model.
A further part – a geography-philosophy cooperation – tackles the issue that geographical research may upset persons even though it is ethical. So far issues about this kind of research have received hardly any attention in Geoethics. It is an attempt to begin to fill this gap by exploring three ethical questions about ethical but upsetting geographical research.
In another geography-philosophy cooperation, the aim is to examine if the investigated expectations regarding hazard protection of the local population are legitimate from a normative perspective, and the significance of the results for the moral evaluation of natural hazard policies is analysed.
A geography-economics approach investigates how future natural hazard scenarios might develop under climate change conditions and analyses the consequences for endangered areas, vulnerability and economic risk. This is achieved by modelling the possible increase in damages caused by climate change, including uncertainty measures, as well as possible coping strategies.
Additionally, the history of natural hazards in context to climate and land cover changes will be unravelled, in order to analyse the cross-connections and to identify possible threshold criteria for natural hazard events.
Fördergeber
Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)
FWF Der Wissenschaftsfonds
EE-Con – Economic and Ethical Consequences of Natural Hazards in Alpine Valleys
02/2015 – 12/2018 (Universität Graz, Institut für Geographie und Raumforschung)
Kurzbeschreibung
Aufgrund von steilem Relief, hoher Bevölkerungsdichte und der ökonomischen Bedeutung von Sommer- und Wintertourismus ist die Bevölkerung des Alpenraums besonders verwundbar gegenüber Naturgefahren. Dieses Problem könnte sich im Zuge des aktuellen Klimawandels in der Zukunft verschärfen. Hohe monetäre Schäden führen oft zu der schwierigen Frage, ob es sich für die Gesellschaft auszahlt, Siedlungsraum mit hohem Aufwand zu schützen, oder ob Ortschaften besser abgesiedelt werden sollten. In zwei alpinen Talräumen der Steiermark (Johnsbachtal und Kleinsölktal) werden folgende Fragen in einer interdisziplinären Zusammenarbeit von Geographie, Ökonomie und Philosophie bearbeitet und die möglichen Anpassungsstrategien diskutiert:
(1) Nehmen Naturgefahren und damit verbundene Schäden tatsächlich zu, und ist dies ggf. auf meteorologische Trigger, anthropogene Faktoren oder interne Prozessdynamik zurückzuführen? (2) Welche Wahrnehmung und welches lokale Wissen haben die betroffenen Einwohner über Naturgefahren, wie werden Risiko und Risikovorsorge kommuniziert? (3) Wie ist das Kostenverhältnis zwischen Schutzbauten, „sanften“ Anpassungsstrategien und anderen Optionen, wie z.B. Aufgabe von Siedlungsraum? (4) Wie weit geht die gesellschaftliche Verantwortung und wo beginnt die individuelle Verantwortung, wenn Teile des Siedlungsraums aufgegeben werden?
Fördergeber
Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)
SEETechnology – Co-operation of SEE science parks for the promotion of transnational market uptake of R&D results and technologies by SMEs
10/2013 – 12/2014 (Universität Graz, Institut für Chemie)
Kurzbeschreibung
SEETechnology is a part of South East Europe (SEE) Transnational Cooperation Programme. The project is about co-operation of SEE (South East Europe) science parks for the promotion of transnational market uptake of R&D results and technologies by SMEs. It's about creating the environment for innovative entrepreneurship.
Therefore the main objective is to improve and develop support services to innovative SMEs provided by university based SME-support centres and science parks in order to facilitate the take-up of research ideas and products through better access to knowledge, resources and markets locally and at transnational level.
The project ultimately targets innovative SMEs, which are able to embrace research products or may be the carriers of such ideas but currently face difficulties in access to management-type knowledge, facilities and support services. The project aims at the establishment of new and durable joint transnational services, tools and frameworks and will put into practice developed and improved methods and explored good practices.
Fördergeber
South East Europe Transnational Cooperation Programme
CC-Snow – Effects of Climate Change on Future Snow Conditions in Tyrol and Styria
10/2010 – 08/2011 (Universität Graz, Institut für Geographie und Raumforschung)
Kurzbeschreibung
In order to investigate climate change impacts on future snow conditions in the Austrian Alps and to further analyze the effect of changing snow conditions on winter tourism and economy, a series of separate projects has been proposed for funding within the Austrian Climate Research Programme.
The project CC-Snow (01.01.2010-31.12.2011) aims at utilizing improved future climate scenario simulations to determine the effect of climate change on future natural snow conditions in the Austrian Alps. A sophisticated interface will be developed to provide adequate climate model output for a deterministic snow model at the local scale of the test sites Kitzbühel and Schladming and at the regional scale Tyrol and Styria.
Inferred from the climate scenarios and the snow simulation, indicators will be derived to describe conditions of future artificial snow production. Errors are tracked along the modelling path from the climate simulation through both scales of snow simulations.
Fördergeber
Austrian Climate Research Program
JoinSEE – Example of excellence for Joint (Degree) Programme Development in South Eastern Europe
01/2009 – 07/2012 (Universität Graz, ÖH Uni Graz)
Kurzbeschreibung
The project "Example of Excellence of Joint (Degree) Programmes in South Eastern Europe" aims at transferring multi-lateral know-how in the development of curricula for joint or double degree programmes by developing and implementing four joint (degree) programmes in the Western Balkan region.
The implementation process will be accompanied by activities ensuring sustainability and quality assurance of the joint programmes and providing for a best practise model in the Western Balkan region. As an added value an already existing thematic network on joint degree management of the Utrecht Network will be extended and will benefit from mutual knowledge-transfer.
Fördergeber
EU-Tempus Programme