Kalorien, Kilowatt und Kreditprogramme. Das European Recovery Program (ERP) als Wendepunkt sozionaturaler Verhältnisse in Österreich?

Abstract

No AccessKalorien, Kilowatt und Kreditprogramme. Das European Recovery Program (ERP) als Wendepunkt sozionaturaler Verhältnisse in Österreich?Mag. Dr. phil. Robert GroßMag. Dr. phil. Robert Groß Universität Innsbruck, Institut für Geschichtswissenschaften und Europäische Ethnologie Österreich Search for more papers by this authorhttps://doi.org/10.14220/9783737015677.193SectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail AboutAbstract: Since the middle of the 20th century, socio-economic growth rates have accelerated, globally but also in Austria. The downside is soil sealing, loss of biodiversity, steadily increasing GHG emissions, rising temperatures and melting glaciers. In this context, environmental historians speak of the “Great Acceleration” since the 1950s; a self-reinforcing process driven by economic and population growth that was fueled by constantly rising energy consumption. In Austria, this process coincides with the extreme weather events of 1947, reconstruction of a wrecked national economy and participation in the European Recovery Program (ERP)/Marshall Plan. The paper argues that a socio-ecologically informed reading of the ERP contributes to a better understanding of the “Great Acceleration.” Such an analysis, however, should not be exhausted in either the analysis of political events or the quantitative long-term perspective of social ecology, but can unfold its potential only in the combination of both approaches, as discussed on the basis of some ERP projects and contemporary nature conservation debates. Keywords: European Recovery Programm (ERP)/Marshall Plan, Drought 1947, Great Acceleration, Austria, Contemporary Environmental History Previous chapter Next chapter FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Download book cover 1. AuflageISBN: 978-3-8471-1567-0 eISBN: 978-3-7370-1567-7HistoryPublished online:June 2023 KeywordsEuropean Recovery Programm (ERP)/Marshall PlanDrought 1947Great AccelerationAustriaContemporary Environmental HistoryPDF download