Climate protection expert Sigrid Stagl honored as Scientist of the Year!

Climate protection expert Sigrid Stagl honored as Scientist of the Year!

The renowned economist Sigrid Stagl was named “Scientist of the Year 2024”. The Club of Education and Science Journalists honored her for her outstanding mediation work in the areas of climate protection and a sustainable economy. Stagl, professor at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, emphasizes that science and research are essential to overcome the pressing challenges of climate change and the energy crisis. “In order not to exceed the 2°C limit, global emissions must fall by 6-8% annually,” explained Stagl and called for consistent implementation of climate protection measures at the political and economic level. For her tireless efforts, the economist is recognized as an important voice in the public discourse who contributes to sustainability with well-founded scientific assessments, such as öko-news.at reported.

Important research topics

Stagl's research covers numerous current topics such as emissions trading, CO2 certificates and the energy transition. She highlights that the innovative transformation of the economy is crucial to address the climate and environmental agendas. “Climate policy must be part of the economy,” she demands and sees great potential for measures that combine economic incentives with climate protection without incurring immense costs. “There are definitely ways in which you can pursue climate and environmental policy that are not as expensive as previous approaches,” Stagl said, while mentioning some of the easy-to-implement low-hanging fruit, such as creating incentives for carbon taxation or removing “climate-counterproductive subsidies,” as various media outlets report, including the press.

With her diplomatic skills and tireless commitment, Stagl represents the concerns of her discipline and tries to influence society's perception of economic and climate issues. The “Scientist of the Year” honor is a further step towards recognizing the relevance of science communication and the need to overcome economic and environmental challenges together.