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Raphael Ofner

@raphael-ofner.bsky.social
1K followers 896 following 141 posts

Studying "Environment and Bio-Resources Management" at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna ● Former Journalist ● Focused on Climate Change and Media || Foto: Jürgen Fuchs

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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
Recent research estimates that the aid cuts of the Trump administration will cost millions of lives.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
Can't agree more - very similar here in Vienna :)
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Huge recommendation: Historian @timothysnyder.bsky.social in a remarkable interview in Austrian public television about the first 100 days of the second Trump administration (*English audio version*).
open.spotify.com
Zu Gast: Timothy Snyder, (American historian) / englische Langfassung
ZIB2-Podcast · Episode
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
What a great success story - Must-read, must-share!
washingtonpost.com
Paris said au revoir to cars. Air pollution maps reveal a dramatic change.
Air pollution fell substantially as the city restricted car traffic and made way for parks and bike lanes.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 31/03/2025
Major news from France!
nytimes.com
Le Pen Barred From French Presidential Run After Embezzlement Ruling (Gift Article)
The court decision barred the far-right leader Marine Le Pen from seeking office for five years, jeopardizing her plans for the 2027 election. She can appeal.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 30/03/2025
As so often ... clear and easy to understand information on manmade climate change provided by Austrian meteorologist @marcuswadsak.bsky.social. Definitely recommend following!
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Thank you very much for your insightful reply, @annieleymarie.bsky.social!
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
New data from the European Automobile Manufacturers Association shows Tesla sales plummeting by almost 50%.
reuters.com
Tesla's February market share in Europe drops despite EV pickup
Tesla's market share in Europe continued to shrink year-on-year in February, data showed on Tuesday, as sales of the all-electric car maker dropped for a second consecutive month despite rising overall EV registrations on the continent.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/03/2025
Would you say that alpine pastures (as they are rather common in Austria, for example) would be an exception to that? At that altitude, there isn't much growing except gras, and fencing is at least limited.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
Thank you for the super important post!! What I wonder is: How straightforward is this? Glaciers will shrink no doubt, but could other sources of water make up for that (like more rainfall due to increased evaporation)? So, with how much certainty can climate communicators talk about this risk?
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
Land of the free ...
theguardian.com
French scientist denied US entry after phone messages critical of Trump found
France’s research minister said the scientist was traveling to Houston for a conference when his phone was searched
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
Greenpeace has said that a $300 million judgment could force it to shut down its operations in the United States.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
A North Dakota jury on Wednesday awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to the Texas-based pipeline company Energy Transfer, which had sued Greenpeace over its role in protests nearly a decade ago against its Dakota Access Pipeline.
nytimes.com
Jury Finds Greenpeace Liable for Hundreds of Millions in Damages (Gift Article)
A lawsuit by pipeline giant Energy Transfer claimed Greenpeace had played a major, costly role in protests nearly a decade ago. Greenpeace has said a loss could put it out of business.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
bbc.com
Norway on track to be first to go all-electric
Nine in 10 new cars in the country are now battery-powered, and it aims to hit 100% later this year.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
latimes.com
Copenhagen has taken bicycle commuting to a whole new level
Cycling has been a part of that good life in Copenhagen for decades. In recent years, it has enjoyed yet another unfathomable surge in popularity — taken to the next level thanks to constantly improvi...
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 18/03/2025
9 out of 10 cars sold in Norway are electric. Copenhagen in Denmark has become one of THE biking cities worldwide. Skandinavia as a whole leads in heat pump installations (thanks for sharing @janrosenow.bsky.social). The northern countries of Europe show: There is no excuse for climate inaction.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
I don't think it's a laughing matter. Newspapers like @theguardian.com or the @nytimes.com and public broadcasters like the @bbcbreaking-bot.bsky.social or the @orfnewsbot.bsky.social are important sources of information. While their reporting should always be improved, they are pillars of society.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
As much as we agree that the climate crisis deserves more media attention, The New York Times already reports on climate change and energy transformation nearly daily. While feedback is important, I think we shouldn't forget how important high-quality news outlets like The Times are in all this.
nytimes.com
2024 Brought the World to a Dangerous Warming Threshold. Now What? (Gift Article)
Global temperatures last year crept past a key goal, raising questions about how much nations can stop the planet from heating up further.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
The United States recorded $315 billion in clean energy investments last year. About 80 percent of the investments tied to the "Inflation Reduction Act", the key climate bill of the Biden administration, have gone to Republican congressional districts. Climate and economy CAN go hand in hand.
nytimes.com
The Republicans Pushing Trump to Save Biden’s Clean Energy Tax Credits (Gift Article)
Despite President Trump’s rollback of climate policy, some Republicans and business leaders say clean energy can help his “energy dominance” agenda.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Thank you for the insight!
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Is there a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism in place or in planing (as the one that should take effect at the EU borders in 2026)?
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
How do you see the move away from the consumer carbon tax (which many countries still have here in Europe)?
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
The richest man on earth taking food and medicine from the poorest of the poor: "When you meet those dying children and look into their eyes and hold their hands and feel faint heartbeats flutter, you can’t bear the gleeful laughter. You see children just like your own and hang your head in shame."
nytimes.com
Opinion | Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True. (Gift Article)
A journey through the front lines of global poverty shows that when the world’s richest men slash aid for the world’s poorest children, the result is sickness, starvation and death.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
(2/2) The move still faces legal challenges from both the far left and far right, as the vote is set to take place just days before the new parliamentary majorities from February's election take effect.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Some context for those less familiar with German politics (1/2): Germany's constitution includes a so-called "debt brake", which has restricted investment for years. Loosening its rules requires a two-thirds majority. SPD and CDU/CSU are currently negotiating a coalition government.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Remarkable climate news from Germany! Conservatives (CDU/CSU) and Social Democrats (SPD) agreed in principle with the Green Party on plans for a massive increase in state borrowing for infrastructure and military. The Greens secured a €100 billion fund for climate and economic transformation.
dw.com
Germany: Parties agree on historic debt deal – DW – 03/14/2025
The CDU/CSU bloc and the SPD have reached an agreement with the Greens on a massive increase in government borrowing.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
For context: Wright stated price stability and the fight against poverty as reasons to keep using fossil fuels anyway - ignoring that renewable energy has become much more affordable and that costs of climate change are expected to be much higher (especially in many developing countries).
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
This cannot be highlighed enough: Not even a man that got rich with fracking and is part of a super-pro-fossil-fuel administration questions the reality of manmade global warming anymore.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 13/03/2025
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright gave a remarkable speech these days. Not that his unreflected pro-fossil-fuels standpoint was in any way surprising (Wright is a fracking magnate). But telling ... as even he admitted: “We have indeed raised global atmospheric CO2 concentration by 50 percent..."
nytimes.com
U.S. Energy Secretary Pledges to Reverse Focus on Climate Change (Gift Article)
To applause from oil and gas executives, Chris Wright said natural gas was preferable to renewable energy and climate change was a “side effect of building the modern world.”
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
I have always been an advocate for publicly funded broadcasters like the BBC in the UK or the ORF in Austria. This excellent interview of ORF anchorman @arminwolf.at with virologist @cdrosten.bsky.social reminds me why.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
“The climate crisis that is coming our way is not just about polar bears, and it’s not just about green jobs. It actually is coming through your mail slot, in the form of insurance cancellations, insurance nonrenewals and dramatic increases in insurance costs.” Great reporting from the @nytimes.com
nytimes.com
Insurers Are Deserting Homeowners as Climate Shocks Worsen (Gift Article)
Without insurance, it’s impossible to get a mortgage; without a mortgage, most Americans can’t buy a home.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
- To address rising costs of living, rent increases shall be capped.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
- To improve the integration of young refugees and other immigrants, the coalition plans to make a second year of kindergarden mandatory. This is meant to improve language skills from a young age on. - Plans to temporarily stop family reunification of refugees will probably face legal hurdles.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
- Climate subsidies will be partly rolled back though due to fiscal pressure, making the ambitious climate goal even harder to reach than before. - All three parties are decidedly pro-EU (in contrast to the Freedom Party who is closer to EU-sceptics like Viktor Orban of Hungary).
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
- Freedom Party plans to end public funding of the public broadcaster ORF (the "Austrian BBC") have been scrapped, though there will be financial cutbacks. - The government (for now) does not give up the goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040, which was set by the previous administration.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
AUSTRIA DISPATCH 🇦🇹 On Monday, a new coalition government will be inaugurated in Austria - consisting of Conservatives, Social Democrats and Liberals. What might be interesting for international readers? - The government was formed after talks with the far-right Freedom Party had failed.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
What person? I did not block you
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 27/02/2025
I agree, the headline of the newspaper article isn't quite perfect maybe. But that doesn't change the reality of the gigantic consensus.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
The degree of scientific certainty about the impact of greenhouse gases is now similar to the level of agreement on evolution and plate tectonics, the authors say
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Friendly reminder because it is more important than ever: A 2021 survey of 90.000 (!) peer-reviewed articles found more than 99 percent agreement on human-caused climate change.
theguardian.com
‘Case closed’: 99.9% of scientists agree climate emergency caused by humans
Trawl of 90,000 studies finds consensus, leading to call for Facebook and Twitter to curb disinformation
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
@seyfro.at Vielen Dank für Ihren engagierten Einsatz für freie Pressearbeit. Der Wert unabhängiger Berichterstattung kann kaum genug wertgeschätzt werden!
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Think what you may ... scientists clearly tell us that we have to try to avoid every tenth of a degree of global warming. I for one intend to do my best to help that and other goals - for better or for worse.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
I doubt that, but I worry that a lot of suffering will have happened until then ...
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
What can I say ... I'm an optimist right until the end ;)
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Sometimes, I wonder what people will think in 50 or 100 years when they take a look into a news archive or a history book ...
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Of course, it's easier to talk in Europe at the moment. I hope you don't get this wrong. I just know that millions were standing by and watching as Europe's democracies imploded 90 years ago and what the consequences were.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
Yes, that might be true. But either way, I think it is telling - the Rassemblement National usually doesn't shy away from controversy.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
I doubt that peaceful protesters will be mass incarcerated (yet) - the athlete you mentioned was released after this incident. I know that many people in Austria and Germany later wished they had stood up against fascism when they still had the chance.
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
What the measures are concerned ... peaceful street protests, contacting representatives, speaking up empathetically but clearly online, etc. ... I know it all seems too little, but it might make a difference. Showing that there is a majority who does not accept any kind of fascism is my best advice
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Raphael Ofner @raphael-ofner.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
I completely understand what you mean. The checks and balances appear weakened (though I still hope that the courts will prove a barrier). Without having a definite answer myself, I'd recommend focusing on the real threats to Democracy (less so on questionable, but legitimate decisions).
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