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Clemens Arvay

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Clemens Georg Arvay
Photo of Arvay in 2017
Arvay in 2017
Born(1980-07-22)22 July 1980
Graz, Austria
Died18 February 2023(2023-02-18) (aged 42)
Türkensturz, Gleißenfeld, Scheiblingkirchen-Thernberg, Austria[1]
LanguageGerman, English
Education
Notable works
  • The Biophilia Effect
  • The Healing Code of Nature
Website
clemensarvay.com

Clemens Georg Arvay[2] (22 July 1980 – 18 February 2023[3]) was an Austrian author of nonfiction books with an emphasis on health ecology.[4] In particular, his controversial conclusions about the relationship between the benefit and risk of the corona vaccines attracted media attention.

Biography

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Arvay was born in 1980 in Graz. After initially undergoing an apprenticeship as a bookbinder[5] while completing secondary school,[6] Arvay qualified in landscape ecology at the University of Graz, receiving his bachelor's degree in 2005. In 2007, he also completed his master's degree in Applied Plant Sciences at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna.[7] Arvay subsequently held various positions, including quality manager for the organic brand "Zurück zum Ursprung" (Back to the Origin) of the Hofer supermarket chain.[8] Later, Arvay temporarily obtained a position working for the Austrian environmental protection organization, Global 2000, a member of Friends of the Earth Europe.[9] From 2012 on Arvay worked exclusively as a freelance author.[10][11] Some of his books became bestsellers in Germany and Austria.[12][13][14][15][16][17] His corpse was found at the bottom of the cliff near the Türkensturz [de] ruins, in Gleißenfeld, Scheiblingkirchen-Thernberg, on February 18, 2023. His death was declared a suicide.[1]

Publications

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In 2011, Arvay published his first nonfiction book on forgotten species of vegetables. The author reached a wide readership with his second book Der große Bio-Schmäh (The Big Organic Fraud).[18] Released in 2012, the book offered a look "behind the scenes of the supposedly picture-perfect world of organic foods,"[19] which was touted as being "a dispassionate and therefore also credible account."[20] In 2013, in an additional book, Arvay advocated reining in "power-hungry food conglomerates" in favor of regional, small-scale farming.[21] This book also was published in Japanese.[22]

In 2014, Arvay teamed up with the actor Roland Düringer on a book titled Leb wohl Schlaraffenland (Farewell, Land of Plenty) in which both authors discussed the "major philosophical questions in life."[23] As an experiment, Düringer decided to do without modern advances and to live according to the way things were 40 years ago.[24] In the course of additional activities as an author, Arvay once again took on the ramifications of industrial farming, in his book published in 2014, having to do above all with the artificial standardization of food by policymakers and industry, along with the practices of large seed producers.[18]

In Der Biophilia-Effekt (The Biophilia Effect, 2015) and Das Biophilia-Training (The Biophilia Training, 2016), the author analyzed the healing effect of the forest.[25] In the two books, Arvay touted the forest as the "best fitness gym in the world";[26] The English edition of The Biophilia Effect was published in 2018.[27] It contains a foreword by biologist Marc Bekoff.[28] In 2016, Arvay revisited this topic in a book entitled Der Heilungscode der Natur (The Healing Code of Nature, 2018).[29][30] Specifically, the work discusses the positive effects of plants and animals on the human immune system.[31] His work Biophilia in der Stadt (Biophilia in the City, 2018) deals with the effects of nature and green spaces on urban public health.[32] Brain scientist Gerald Hüther wrote the foreword to the book.[33] In the book Mit den Bäumen wachsen wir in den Himmel: Autistische Kinder mit der Heilkraft des Waldes fördern (Forest therapy and the autism spectrum: advancing the development of children through biodiversity, 2019), Arvay describes developmental opportunities in the forest for children on the autism spectrum, supporting his explanations with current research.

In 2019, the International Handbook of Forest Therapy was published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing; it consists of two chapters that are written by Arvay.[34] In 2020 he published Wir können es besser (We Can Do Better), claiming a correlation between environmental damages, loss of biodiversity, and the emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2.[35] Arvay's book Die Naturgeschichte des Immunsystems (The Natural History of the Immune System) was published in 2022 by Quadriga, Bastei Lübbe. It deals with the evolutionary development of the immune systems of humans, animals, and plants.[17][36]

COVID-19 controversy

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Arvay appeared as a public critic of the COVID-19 vaccines, more specifically the shortened clinical approval process for the vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2. About this issue, he published an article in the Swiss Medical Journal (Schweizerische Ärztezeitung) as well as a book with the title Corona-Impfstoffe: Rettung oder Risiko? (Corona vaccines: rescue or risk?, Bastei Luebbe, 2021).[37][38] He was invited to a panel discussion on Austrian public television ORF to talk about these concerns in November 2020[39][40] and posted several related videos on his YouTube channel, which were deleted by him later. According to Arvay, in animal experiments the vaccine candidate AZD1222 did not achieve sufficient protection against the infection and led to significant side effects in the combined clinical phases I/II. Fabian Schmidt wrote in Deutsche Welle that Arvay drew a narrative according to which the pharmaceutical industry and investors such as Bill Gates wanted to bring the vaccines to the market at any price and for profit, even if they put public health at risk.[41]

The German virologist Stephan Becker, who was involved in the vaccine study in the early stages, did not share Arvay's concerns about a lack of care. For him, the test data in animals and humans showed a desired immune response. In contrast to Arvay, Becker considered the side effects shown so far to be acceptable, but advised carefully considering whether the risk for a patient outweighs the protection against the coronavirus infection.[42] In an article in the Austrian newspaper Falter, Barbara Tóth sees Arvay as a "classic Corona free rider" who also used criticism of the containment measures against COVID-19 as a business model.[43]

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), all COVID-19 vaccines approved in the European Union are safe, effective, and overall have a good risk-benefit profile according to the current state of science (1 April 2021).[44]

References

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  1. ^ a b Florian Machl (27 February 2023). "Behörden zu Tod von Clemens G. Arvay: "Kein Zweifel an Suizid"" [Authorities on the death of Clemens G. Arvay: "No doubt about suicide"]. report24.news (in German). Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  2. ^ Andreas Schindler (31 January 2012). "Ja, natürlich ...". fm4v3.orf.at (in German). Archived from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Traueranzeigen, Hr. DI Clemens Arvay". bestattung-pius.at (in Austrian German). Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Rooted in Nature - Biologist Clemens Arvay". Best Self Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. ^ Portrait Clemens G Arvay Archived 26 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine, biorama.eu
  6. ^ Arvay, Clemens (2019). Mit den Bäumen wachsen wir in den Himmel: Autistische Kinder mit der Heilkraft des Waldes fördern (Forest therapy and the autism spectrum – advancing the development of children through biodiversity). Randomhouse Germany (Goldmann). pp. 11–15. ISBN 978-3442159895.
  7. ^ "About". Clemens G. Arvay. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Bio kann nicht billig sein". Die Presse (in German). 5 February 2012. p. 35.
  9. ^ "Global 2000-Mitarbeiter präsentiert: Fruchtgemüse" (in German). Austrian Presse Agentur. 6 October 2011.
  10. ^ Arvay, Clemens (2018). The Biophilia-Effect: The Healing Bond Between Humans and Nature. Boulder, Colorado: Sounds True Publishing. pp. 86–89. ISBN 978-1683640424.
  11. ^ "Clemens Arvay - Books". clemensarvay.com. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  12. ^ Schuh, Karin (5 February 2020). "Der Hype um die Aufdeckerbücher". Die Presse: 35.
  13. ^ Berlin, Berliner Morgenpost- (23 June 2015). "Top 10 Sachbuch aus der Amazon Bestseller-Liste". www.morgenpost.de (in German). Archived from the original on 14 October 2020. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  14. ^ Dörhöfer, Pamela (8 April 2021). "Clemens Arvay: Bestseller über Corona-Impfstoffe". Frankfurter Runschau. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  15. ^ "search result "wir können es besser"". buchreport (german bestseller report) (in German). Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  16. ^ "search result for ""Corona-Impfstoffe""". buchreport (German bestseller report) (in German). Archived from the original on 18 May 2021. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Klüpfel & Kobr und Gisa Pauly räumen ab". Börsenblatt (in German). Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Agrarbiologe warnt vor normiertem Essen". Der Standard (in German). 16 April 2014. Archived from the original on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Blick hinter die Kulissen der heilen Bio-Welt". Kleine Zeitung (in German). 26 February 2012. p. 19.
  20. ^ "Grüngewaschen: Ein neues Buch blickt hinter die Kulissen der Bio-Idylle". Profil (in German). 30 January 2012. p. 73.
  21. ^ "Nur die regionale, kleinstrukturierte Landwirtschaft ist krisensicher". Vorarlberger Nachrichten (in German). 11 March 2013.
  22. ^ オーガニックラベルの裏側: 21世紀食品産業の真実 (in Japanese). OCLC 898691505. Retrieved 19 March 2019 – via WorldCat.
  23. ^ Daniela Herger (11 February 2014). "Leb wohl, Schlaraffenland: Roland Düringers Verzicht-Experiment". Vienna Online (in German). Archived from the original on 22 June 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  24. ^ "Düringer mit neuem Buch über Verzicht-Experiment". Heute (in German). 10 November 2013. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  25. ^ "Waldspaziergang schlägt Wellness". Kronen Zeitung (in German). 12 April 2015. p. 44.
  26. ^ Julia Pflig (24 April 2016). "Das beste Fitnessstudio der Welt". Kurier (in German). p. 34.
  27. ^ The Biophilia Effect: A Scientific and Spiritual Exploration of the Healing Bond Between Humans and Nature. OCLC 991585178. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2019 – via WorldCat.
  28. ^ Marc, Bekoff (10 January 2018). "The Biophilia Effect: Exploring the Healing Power of Nature". Psychology Today. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2019.
  29. ^ Claudia Richter (4 September 2016). "Hilfe aus dem Wald: Bäume als Medizin". Die Presse (in German). p. 34.
  30. ^ "5 Best New Psychosomatic Medicine Books To Read In 2019". Bookauthority. Archived from the original on 25 March 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  31. ^ "Clemens Arvay, Biologe" (in German). Südwestrundfunk. 12 August 2016. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  32. ^ Saurugger, Sonja (17 July 2018). ""Knallharte Betonflächen lösen chronischen Stress aus"". Kleine Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  33. ^ Katalog (in German). German National Library. 2018. ISBN 9783442314829. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
  34. ^ Qing Li, ed. (2019). International Handbook of Forest Therapy. Cambridge University Press. pp. 32, 42. ISBN 978-1-5275-3955-6.
  35. ^ "Wir können es besser". Bastei Luebbe Publishing Germany (in German). Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 13 September 2020.
  36. ^ Lesering.de (5 May 2022). "Spiegel Bestsellerliste: Klüpfel und Kobr mit "Affenhitze" auf Platz 1 - Aktuelles - Lesering.de". Lesering Deutschland. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  37. ^ Arvay, Clemens (1 July 2020). "Genetische Impfstoffe gegen COVID-19: Hoffnung oder Risiko?". Schweizerische Ärztezeitung (in Swiss High German). 101 (2728): 862–864. doi:10.4414/saez.2020.18982. Archived from the original on 15 December 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  38. ^ Dörhöfer, Pamela (8 April 2021). "Clemens Arvay: Bestseller über Corona-Impfstoffe". Frankfurter Rundschau (in German). Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  39. ^ "Talk 1: Jetzt wird getestet und geimpft – War das der letzte Lockdown? Mit Florian Aigner, Clemens G. Arvay, Christina Nicolodi, Bernhard Kittel u. a." tv.ORF.at (in Austrian German). 25 November 2020. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2023.Video on YouTube
  40. ^ "Talk 1: Jetzt wird getestet und geimpft – War das der letzte Lockdown?". OTS.at (in Austrian German). 24 November 2020. Archived from the original on 24 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  41. ^ Fabian Schmidt (19 October 2020). "COVID-19: Schwierige Abwägungen bei der Entwicklung von Impfstoffen". Deutsche Welle (in German). Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  42. ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "COVID-19: Schwierige Abwägungen bei der Entwicklung von Impfstoffen | DW | 19 October 2020". DW.COM (in German). Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  43. ^ "Aluhut, Globuli und Judenstern". www.falter.at. Archived from the original on 11 October 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  44. ^ "STIKO-Empfehlung zur COVID-19-Impfung" (PDF). Robert Koch Institute. 1 April 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
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