SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE: "WE MUST ALSO THINK ABOUT THE UNEXPECTED"

“Curiosity, openness and optimism are essential for a young person when it comes to sustainability," said Prof. Rupert Baumgartner at the recent TARDIS World Forum at the University of Miskolc.

The first-ever Transatlantic Research and Interchange on Sustainability (TARDIS) World Programme Conference on Local and Global Sustainability Challenges was held in Hungary at UM in September. We asked renowned foreign experts who attended the event: what do they see sustainability as?

Prof. Rupert Baumgartner, Professor at Graz Technical University, said: "In Central Europe, we are facing more or less the same challenges, whether it's climate change, biodiversity or energy management." He added: "It is crucial to try to find ways to decouple the growth of economic prosperity from resources, to redesign the energy system and to make greater use of renewable energies." The Austrian professor stressed that the key to sustainable development is to think about how to cope with the unexpected.

And what is his advice to young people? Be curious and open-minded, but also optimistic.