We ♥️ Europe - but do we know what we love? What I learned at European Forum Alpbach 2021.

We ♥️ Europe — So many of us deeply connect to the idea of Europe, feel European, say we are European but cannot explain what we mean exactly — maybe that’s one of the reasons Europe struggles?

This year at the European Forum Alpbach we focused on three tracks: Securing the Future of Europe, Financing the Future of Europe and The Climate Opportunity. It was my first year as Vice-President of the Board, and my great honor to co-curate the program together with our amazing team, experts and advisory boards (a special shout-out goes to Floria Springer and Mirta Surlina!).

There is hardly anyone left who doesn’t agree that the science behind the Climate Crisis is real and scary and that we need to act now — on almost every panel in Alpbach, Climate was mentioned as a challenge and opportunity. More and more companies are signing up to stop global warming at the already scary 1,5 degree mark. That’s good news, but will Climate leaders win the race? 

The Climate Opportunity leaders we gathered for a retreat and as speakers and contributors certainly gave reason for optimism. Their ideas ok how to build a movement of climate farmers, their renewed commitment to invest in sustainability in their company, their passion to ensure that in the run up of the next global climate summit COP26 a total of 80% of the world‘s GDP corporates sign up for „Race to Zero“ should give us reason for hope. 

That all of us have a role and responsibility in solving the Climate Crisis was front and center at Alpbach, but are we all able to convert our will into action after we go home? I certainly hope so. 

I loved the energy and passion of the Climate Opportunity leaders, we will see action from them for sure - but I have also seen others at the Forum catch their infectious spark and commit to do more and better.

What’s become crystal clear is that we need to show to everyone that they will profit from a successful green transition — that healthy food grown locally isn’t only yummy but also good for our carbon footprint; that the crazy lives we live now aren’t good for our families and that slow travel and a general deceleration will be also be good for our mental well-being; that green cities where less cars are needed aren’t only cooler but also make us happier; 

But there is also the greater question of Europe’s role and responsibility in the world: "We don’t want to die for Kabul", a speaker said — European security policy and our role in the world has become even more complex with the US’s retreat from Afghanistan. With hard power jumping on the AI and digitization train, new forms of war are emerging. And with Europe hesitant to flex it’s soft power muscles, can we play a responsible role in the world? 

Do we want a boom in economic growth? Here a clear generational divide became visible, many Young want a focus on a “good life for all” and argue for economic growth in sync with our one planet’s boundaries versus many older leaders who believe in traditional growth and argue that without the mechanisms of capital as we know them we cannot generate prosperity.

The inequities of our world were mentioned often but mostly in the context of Climate. Is that enough? 

Even here in Alpbach we all struggle (understandably I say) to grasp and digest the full complexity of our current challenges. I’d argue because we cannot simply take the blueprints of the last decades, but instead need to reinvent ourselves completely in many areas.  

To reinvent requires empathy, creativity, divergent thinking and multi-perspectivity — how do we foster these skills and create spaces for emergence and everyone stepping into their power? A place like Alpbach can do this for us. This I am certain about: Nature, walking in sunshine and rain, occasional stillness, diverse knowledge and opinions, Aha-Moments and disagreement, with an extra portion of deep conversation can open up spaces for all of us to reinvent. 

I am already excited for the next iteration of our reinvention of Europe in Alpbach in 2022.