Post by Denise Kovarik

“𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻” – that’s how European Forum Alpbach was always described to me. And honestly? It kind of fits. 🍃 A whole week packed with input, fresh perspectives, sessions, conversations, and both new and maaaany familiar faces – all set in a small mountain village where nature brings calm to the buzzing intensity. 👫 It’s the place where entrepreneurs, politicians, activists, thought leaders and organizations cross paths – and where encounters happen that truly stay. The opening words from Alexander Van der Bellen set the tone: 𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲. 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲. Direct. Honest. Urgent. 𝗠𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀? 🌍 The KONTEXT Institut für Klimafragen (& Katharina Rogenhofer, Tina Deutsch, Sarah Haas) who gave climate change the stage throughout the entire week and, at their evening reception, showed what genuine collaboration can achieve. 💡 Gernot Wagner, who reminded us not to get stuck in problem-mode. Europe has all the opportunities – the real task is to focus on ideas and solutions. ⚡ Clover Hogan, who made sustainability feel tangible and close, with an energy that was absolutely contagious. 👏 And of course meeting Dominic Thiem. Not everything, however, shone: while the smaller sessions sparked curiosity, understanding, and bridge-building, the big plenaries often felt like they tried to cover everything yet left little space for real depth. Too much about silos, compromise, surprisingly little space for sustainability or “we’re already doing so much” – too little about urgency, concrete action, and bold solutions.   🤝 Luckily, there are many people at Alpbach tackling these challenges hands-on – open for discussion and change – an environment Alpbach enables and encourages to grow. It’s exactly what we at Glacier also foster through our #ClimateRangerCommunity.   🎉 My personal highlight lay between all of this, between all of the sessions and receptions: the coffee breaks, the unexpected encounters, the moments of real exchange. That’s the magic of Alpbach for me. A big thank-you to everyone who was there, for the conversations and for making this week one to remember. Andreas Tschas, Christine Friedreich, Sebastian Habersack Martos, Johannes Scherrer, Hannah Wundsam, Moritz Thiem, Ulli Vielhaber, Marko Jandrisits, Florian Gross, Katja Heine, Lukas Unger, Karl-Heinz Götze, Maria Troger, Christian Richter-Schöller, Florian Maringer, Katharina Binder, Manuel Gahn & many more #EFA2025 #RechargeEurope #Glacir #ClimateRanger