Climate changes are here and they are increasingly affecting society. In addition to reducing our carbon footprint, adapting to changing conditions is/will be essential. In the course Climate Change, taught by Associate Professor Dr Peter Frantar, Master’s students examined how the challenges of climate change are being tackled in Carinthia through field exercises. They visited the municipalities of Radlje ob Dravi and Slovenj Gradec, as well as the Dravograd hydroelectric power plant.
Radlje has the only natural bathing site in Slovenia, which can be counted among both mitigation* and adaptation measures. Gregor Likar, Director of the Public Institute for Sport, Culture, Tourism and Youth Radlje ob Dravi (JZ ŠKTM Radlje ob Dravi), gave a presentation on the bathing site and introduced the students to an innovation that integrates the sustainable elements of the destination into a holistic tourism product.
The importance of adapting to the new situation is also recognised in the local municipality, where a number of projects are addressing the challenges. Green and blue measures for greening the city centre, presented to the students by Senior Advisor for Project Preparation and Management, Klara Glazer.
The curator of the Koroška Regional Museum, Alenka Verdinek, presented the importance of the Pahernik family for Slovenian forests, and Ljudmila Medved, Head of the Forest Development Planning Section at ZGS OE Slovenj Grade, presented sustainable forest management as an adaptation to climate change.
The students also visited the Dravograd Hydroelectric Power Plant. They learned that the flow regime on the Drava River is already being changed and that more changes are on the way. The operation of the power plant and the impact of flow changes was presented by Andrej Kajzer.
The municipality of Slovenj Gradec was also affected by the extreme floods of 2023, which were undoubtedly caused by climate change. Mayor Tilen Klugler gave a presentation on the 2023 floods and the reconstruction that will take several years. The students also discussed with representatives of the municipality of Slovenj Gradec the municipality’s green infrastructure and the measures to be taken for future flood safety, which must be adapted to the new climate reality as more and more emergencies are expected.
* Mitigation – Limiting the extent of climate change; includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and increasing carbon sinks such as oceans and forests.
