Barren Austria: The last generation posts fake images on Google

Dry Danube, disappearing glaciers, lakes without water: Climate activists from the group Last Generation Austria say they have posted edited images of Austrian tourist attractions on the online Google Maps service to draw attention to the effects of global warming. It is the first digital protest of “Austria's last generation”.

“People plan their holidays using Google Maps, and Austria is a tourist country, so we wanted to show what the climate disaster has in store for its beautiful landscape,” a spokeswoman told AFP news agency on Friday.

Images manipulated with artificial intelligence: This is what the consequences of climate change might look like

“In the climate crisis, many people are experiencing a state of mass displacement,” explains the movement's press spokesperson Anna Freund. Standard [externer Link, möglicherweise Bezahl-Inhalt]. The goal of this campaign is to reach people wherever they are – “whether on the street or in the digital space.” This digital protest will be about illustrating the imminent impact on people's lives and 'our nation'.

The activists said they edited and uploaded dozens of images using artificial intelligence. Agence France-Presse found some images on Google Maps showing dry mountain lakes and glaciers with brown rocks. When asked, Google was initially unable to comment on the action or when the edited images would be removed.