Clemens Arvay

Arvay was born in 1980 in Graz. After initially undergoing an apprenticeship as a bookbinder[https://www.biorama.eu/portrait-clemens-g-arvay/ Portrait Clemens G Arvay] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226104636/https://www.biorama.eu/portrait-clemens-g-arvay/ |date=26 February 2023 }}, biorama.eu while completing secondary school,{{Cite book|last=Arvay|first=Clemens|title=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)|publisher=Randomhouse Germany (Goldmann)|year=2019|isbn=978-3442159895|pages=11–15}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.clemensarvay.com/about|title=About|publisher=Clemens G. Arvay|access-date=15 March 2019|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325111118/https://www.clemensarvay.com/about|url-status=live}} Arvay subsequently held various positions, including quality manager for the organic brand "Zurück zum Ursprung" (Back to the Origin) of the Hofer supermarket chain.{{Cite news |language=de |title=Bio kann nicht billig sein |newspaper=Die Presse |date=5 February 2012 |page=35}} Later, Arvay temporarily obtained a position working for the Austrian environmental protection organization, Global 2000, a member of Friends of the Earth Europe.{{Cite news |language=de |title=Global 2000-Mitarbeiter präsentiert: Fruchtgemüse |publisher=Austrian Presse Agentur |date=6 October 2011}} From 2012 on Arvay worked exclusively as a freelance author.{{Cite book|last=Arvay|first=Clemens|title=The Biophilia-Effect: The Healing Bond Between Humans and Nature|publisher=Sounds True Publishing|year=2018|isbn=978-1683640424|location=Boulder, Colorado|pages=86–89}}{{Cite web|title=Clemens Arvay - Books|url=https://www.clemensarvay.com/books|website=clemensarvay.com|access-date=7 May 2020|archive-date=27 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927062959/https://www.clemensarvay.com/books|url-status=live}} Some of his books became bestsellers in Germany and Austria.{{Cite journal|last=Schuh|first=Karin|date=5 February 2020|title=Der Hype um die Aufdeckerbücher|journal=Die Presse|pages=35}}{{Cite web|last=Berlin|first=Berliner Morgenpost-|date=23 June 2015|title=Top 10 Sachbuch aus der Amazon Bestseller-Liste|url=https://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/kultur/article142898802/Top-10-Sachbuch-aus-der-Amazon-Bestseller-Liste.html|access-date=18 May 2021|website=www.morgenpost.de|language=de-DE|archive-date=14 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014035859/https://www.morgenpost.de/printarchiv/kultur/article142898802/Top-10-Sachbuch-aus-der-Amazon-Bestseller-Liste.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Dörhöfer|first=Pamela|date=8 April 2021|title=Clemens Arvay: Bestseller über Corona-Impfstoffe|url=https://www.fr.de/wissen/clemens-avray-corona-impfstoffe-impfen-virologe-90335633.html|url-status=live|access-date=18 May 2021|website=Frankfurter Runschau|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407171400/https://www.fr.de/wissen/clemens-avray-corona-impfstoffe-impfen-virologe-90335633.html |archive-date=7 April 2021 }}{{Cite web|title=search result "wir können es besser"|url=https://www.buchreport.de/search/%22wir%20können%20es%20besser%22/|url-status=live|access-date=18 May 2021|website=buchreport (german bestseller report)|language=de-DE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518132227/https://www.buchreport.de/search/%22wir%20k%C3%B6nnen%20es%20besser%22/ |archive-date=18 May 2021 }}{{Cite web|title=search result for ""Corona-Impfstoffe""|url=https://www.buchreport.de/search/%22Corona-Impfstoffe%22/|url-status=live|access-date=18 May 2021|website=buchreport (German bestseller report)|language=de-DE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210518130726/https://www.buchreport.de/search/%22Corona-Impfstoffe%22/ |archive-date=18 May 2021 }}{{Cite web |title=Klüpfel & Kobr und Gisa Pauly räumen ab |url=https://www.boersenblatt.net/news/bestseller/kluepfel-kobr-und-gisa-pauly-raeumen-ab-238945 |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Börsenblatt |language=de |archive-date=7 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220507183625/https://www.boersenblatt.net/news/bestseller/kluepfel-kobr-und-gisa-pauly-raeumen-ab-238945 |url-status=live }} His corpse was found at the bottom of the cliff near the {{Interlanguage link|Türkensturz|de}} ruins, in Gleißenfeld, Scheiblingkirchen-Thernberg, on February 18, 2023. His death was declared a suicide.

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). Released in 2012, the book offered a look "behind the scenes of the supposedly picture-perfect world of organic foods,"{{Cite news |language=de |title=Blick hinter die Kulissen der heilen Bio-Welt |newspaper=Kleine Zeitung |date=26 February 2012 |page=19}} which was touted as being "a dispassionate and therefore also credible account."{{Cite news |language=de |title=Grüngewaschen: Ein neues Buch blickt hinter die Kulissen der Bio-Idylle |newspaper=Profil |date=30 January 2012 |page=73}} In 2013, in an additional book, Arvay advocated reining in "power-hungry food conglomerates" in favor of regional, small-scale farming.{{Cite news |language=de |title=Nur die regionale, kleinstrukturierte Landwirtschaft ist krisensicher |newspaper=Vorarlberger Nachrichten |date=11 March 2013}} This book also was published in Japanese.{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/898691505 |title=オーガニックラベルの裏側: 21世紀食品産業の真実 |language=ja |via=WorldCat |oclc=898691505 |access-date=19 March 2019}}

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."{{Cite web |language=de |url=http://www.vienna.at/roland-dueringers-verzicht-experiment-leb-wohl-schlaraffenland/3833331 |title=Leb wohl, Schlaraffenland: Roland Düringers Verzicht-Experiment |author=Daniela Herger |website=Vienna Online |date=11 February 2014 |access-date=4 April 2017 |archive-date=22 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170622062552/http://www.vienna.at/roland-dueringers-verzicht-experiment-leb-wohl-schlaraffenland/3833331 |url-status=live }} As an experiment, Düringer decided to do without modern advances and to live according to the way things were 40 years ago.{{Cite web |language=de |url=http://www.heute.at/szene/kultur/story/21194031 |title=Düringer mit neuem Buch über Verzicht-Experiment |website=Heute |date=10 November 2013 |access-date=4 April 2017 |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327203555/https://www.heute.at/s/duringer-mit-neuem-buch-uber-verzicht-experiment-21194031 |url-status=live }} 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.{{Cite web |language=de |url=https://derstandard.at/1395364883446/Hilfe-unser-Essen-wird-normiert |title=Agrarbiologe warnt vor normiertem Essen |newspaper=Der Standard |date=16 April 2014 |access-date=19 June 2018 |archive-date=19 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619190056/https://derstandard.at/1395364883446/Hilfe-unser-Essen-wird-normiert |url-status=live }}

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.{{Cite news |language=de |title=Waldspaziergang schlägt Wellness |newspaper=Kronen Zeitung |date=12 April 2015 |page=44}} In the two books, Arvay touted the forest as the "best fitness gym in the world";{{Cite news |language=de |author=Julia Pflig |title=Das beste Fitnessstudio der Welt |newspaper=Kurier |date=24 April 2016 |page=34}} The English edition of The Biophilia Effect was published in 2018.{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/991585178|title=The Biophilia Effect: A Scientific and Spiritual Exploration of the Healing Bond Between Humans and Nature|via=WorldCat|oclc=991585178|access-date=19 March 2019|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327202337/https://www.worldcat.org/title/991585178|url-status=live}} It contains a foreword by biologist Marc Bekoff.{{Cite web|url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/animal-emotions/201801/the-biophilia-effect-exploring-the-healing-power-nature|title=The Biophilia Effect: Exploring the Healing Power of Nature|last=Marc|first=Bekoff|date=10 January 2018|website=Psychology Today|access-date=19 March 2019|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327202348/https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/animal-emotions/201801/the-biophilia-effect-exploring-the-healing-power-nature|url-status=live}} In 2016, Arvay revisited this topic in a book entitled Der Heilungscode der Natur (The Healing Code of Nature, 2018).{{Cite news |language=de |author=Claudia Richter |title=Hilfe aus dem Wald: Bäume als Medizin |date=4 September 2016 |newspaper=Die Presse |page=34}}{{Cite web |url=https://bookauthority.org/books/new-psychosomatic-medicine-books |title=5 Best New Psychosomatic Medicine Books To Read In 2019 |website=Bookauthority |access-date=25 March 2019 |archive-date=25 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325111115/https://bookauthority.org/books/new-psychosomatic-medicine-books |url-status=live }} Specifically, the work discusses the positive effects of plants and animals on the human immune system.{{Cite web |language=de |url=http://www.swr.de/swr1/bw/programm/leute/arvay-clemens-biologe/-/id=1895042/did=17838394/nid=1895042/1julljb/index.html |title=Clemens Arvay, Biologe |publisher=Südwestrundfunk |date=12 August 2016 |access-date=4 April 2017 |archive-date=6 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506212748/http://www.swr.de/swr1/bw/programm/leute/arvay-clemens-biologe/-/id=1895042/did=17838394/nid=1895042/1julljb/index.html |url-status=live }} His work Biophilia in der Stadt (Biophilia in the City, 2018) deals with the effects of nature and green spaces on urban public health.{{Cite web|last=Saurugger|first=Sonja|date=17 July 2018|title="Knallharte Betonflächen lösen chronischen Stress aus"|url=https://www.kleinezeitung.at/lebensart/gesundheit/5464997/Natur-in-der-Stadt_Knallharte-Betonflaechen-loesen-Stress-aus|access-date=10 June 2020|publisher=Kleine Zeitung (in German)|archive-date=10 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610132720/https://www.kleinezeitung.at/lebensart/gesundheit/5464997/Natur-in-der-Stadt_Knallharte-Betonflaechen-loesen-Stress-aus|url-status=live}} Brain scientist Gerald Hüther wrote the foreword to the book.{{Cite book |language=de |url=http://d-nb.info/1144289718 |title=Katalog |year=2018 |publisher=German National Library |isbn=9783442314829 |access-date=8 June 2018 |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327202346/https://portal.dnb.de/opac.htm?method=simpleSearch&cqlMode=true&query=idn%3D1144289718 |url-status=live }} 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.{{cite book|editor=Qing Li|title=International Handbook of Forest Therapy|publisher=Cambridge University Press|date=2019|isbn=978-1-5275-3955-6|pages=32, 42}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Wir können es besser|url=https://www.luebbe.de/quadriga/buecher/gesundheit/wir-koennen-es-besser/id_8458398|access-date=13 September 2020|website=Bastei Luebbe Publishing Germany|language=de|archive-date=27 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027033623/https://www.luebbe.de/quadriga/buecher/gesundheit/wir-koennen-es-besser/id_8458398|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Lesering.de |date=5 May 2022 |title=Spiegel Bestsellerliste: Klüpfel und Kobr mit "Affenhitze" auf Platz 1 - Aktuelles - Lesering.de |url=https://www.lesering.de/id/4905862/Spiegel-Bestsellerliste-Klupfel-und-Kobr-mit-Affenhitze-auf-Platz-1/ |access-date=17 July 2022 |website=Lesering Deutschland |archive-date=24 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220524083246/https://www.lesering.de/id/4905862/Spiegel-Bestsellerliste-Klupfel-und-Kobr-mit-Affenhitze-auf-Platz-1/ |url-status=live }}

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).{{Cite journal |last=Arvay |first=Clemens |date=July 1, 2020 |title=Genetische Impfstoffe gegen COVID-19: Hoffnung oder Risiko? |url=https://saez.ch/article/doi/saez.2020.18982 |journal=Schweizerische Ärztezeitung |language=de-CH |volume=101 |issue=2728 |pages=862–864 |doi=10.4414/saez.2020.18982 |doi-access=free |access-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-date=15 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201215052145/https://saez.ch/article/doi/saez.2020.18982 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Dörhöfer |first=Pamela |date=8 April 2021 |title=Clemens Arvay: Bestseller über Corona-Impfstoffe |url=https://www.fr.de/wissen/clemens-avray-corona-impfstoffe-impfen-virologe-90335633.html |website=Frankfurter Rundschau |language=de-DE |access-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-date=7 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210407171400/https://www.fr.de/wissen/clemens-avray-corona-impfstoffe-impfen-virologe-90335633.html |url-status=live }} He was invited to a panel discussion on Austrian public television ORF to talk about these concerns in November 2020{{Cite web |title=Talk 1: Jetzt wird getestet und geimpft – War das der letzte Lockdown? Mit Florian Aigner, Clemens G. Arvay, Christina Nicolodi, Bernhard Kittel u. a. |url=https://tv.orf.at/highlights/orf1/201125_talk1_100.html |date=November 25, 2020 |access-date=March 26, 2023 |website=tv.ORF.at |language=de-AT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125203042/https://tv.orf.at/highlights/orf1/201125_talk1_100.html |archive-date=25 November 2020 |url-status=live }}{{YouTube|id=7gBoed0jUlU}}{{Cite web|title=Talk 1: Jetzt wird getestet und geimpft – War das der letzte Lockdown?|url=https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20201124_OTS0182/talk-1-jetzt-wird-getestet-und-geimpft-war-das-der-letzte-lockdown|date=November 24, 2020|access-date=December 6, 2020|website=OTS.at|language=de-AT|archive-date=24 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124152415/https://www.ots.at/presseaussendung/OTS_20201124_OTS0182/talk-1-jetzt-wird-getestet-und-geimpft-war-das-der-letzte-lockdown|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web |author=Fabian Schmidt |work=Deutsche Welle |url=https://www.dw.com/de/covid-19-schwierige-abw%C3%A4gungen-bei-der-entwicklung-von-impfstoffen/a-55123033 |title=COVID-19: Schwierige Abwägungen bei der Entwicklung von Impfstoffen |date=October 19, 2020 |access-date=March 26, 2023 |language=de-DE |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129051628/https://www.dw.com/de/covid-19-schwierige-abw%C3%A4gungen-bei-der-entwicklung-von-impfstoffen/a-55123033 |url-status=live }}

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.{{Cite web|last=Welle (www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche|title=COVID-19: Schwierige Abwägungen bei der Entwicklung von Impfstoffen {{!}} DW {{!}} 19 October 2020|url=https://www.dw.com/de/covid-19-schwierige-abw%C3%A4gungen-bei-der-entwicklung-von-impfstoffen/a-55123033|access-date=6 December 2020|website=DW.COM|language=de-DE|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129051628/https://www.dw.com/de/covid-19-schwierige-abw%C3%A4gungen-bei-der-entwicklung-von-impfstoffen/a-55123033|url-status=live}} 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.{{Cite web|title=Aluhut, Globuli und Judenstern|url=https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20200915/aluhut-globuli-und-judenstern|access-date=6 December 2020|website=www.falter.at|archive-date=11 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011093458/https://www.falter.at/zeitung/20200915/aluhut-globuli-und-judenstern|url-status=live}}

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).{{Cite web|date=1 April 2021|title=STIKO-Empfehlung zur COVID-19-Impfung|url=https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2021/Ausgaben/16_21.pdf?__blob=publicationFile|url-status=live|access-date=10 April 2021|website=Robert Koch Institute|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210408182040/https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/EpidBull/Archiv/2021/Ausgaben/16_21.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |archive-date=8 April 2021 }}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Clemens Arvay}}

• {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230210000422/https://www.clemensarvay.com/|title=Official website}} of Clemens G. Arvay
• [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Clemens_Arvay ResearchGate] Arvay's official page at ResearchGate
• [https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57200086641 scopus entry of Arvay] (h-index) at Scopus

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Arvay, Clemens}}

Category:1980 births

Category:2023 deaths

Category:2023 suicides

Category:21st-century Austrian biologists

Category:University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna alumni

Category:Scientists from Graz

Category:Writers from Graz

Category:Suicides by jumping in Austria