Austria's floors disappear: alarming facts about World Floor Day!

Austria's floors disappear: alarming facts about World Floor Day!

Every minute counts, especially when it comes to our floors! On the occasion of the world flooring, the environmental protection organization Greenpeace presented alarming facts: around 162 m² of fertile arable land disappear in Austria every five minutes. These areas would be able to produce 250 kg of food, including valuable potatoes, apples and corn. But instead of preserving these areas, they are buried under concrete and asphalt, which gives way to massively endanger the nutritional security and the future of agriculture, as Greenpeace expert Melanie Ebner emphasizes.

The numbers are terrifying: annually the loss of agricultural areas adds to around 1,700 hectares, which corresponds approximately to the size of Lake Wörthersee. Greenpeace is therefore calling for a binding plan for a “net zero” floor consumption by 2050 by the party leaders Karl Nehammer, Andreas Babler and Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Such a plan could prevent fertile floors from being used for construction projects without parallel compensation measures, such as the re -establishment of building land in green areas.

ecological agriculture in focus

But that's not all: Greenpeace has also presented a plan for more environmentally friendly agriculture by 2050. Ecological agriculture could show how it can work economically and sustainably, but it often remains behind the possibilities that arise from political and economic pressure. Dirk Zimmermann, expert in agricultural economy, therefore calls for a change in agriculture that is currently geared towards mass production. Conventional practices lead to an excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides that burden both floors and water.

The need for rethinking is obvious: In order to protect our floors, the climate and biodiversity, chemical-synthetic pesticides must be thrown overboard and the cattle stocks are reduced. This could use areas to cultivate food and at the same time create habitats for endangered species. We are at a turning point - the decision for our soils and our future must now be made. Time is pushing, we have to act before it is too late! Information on the measures and goals of Greenpeace can be found in the detailed Study on sustainable agriculture .