Climate change in Austria

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Climate change in Austria is a critical issue in the 21st century. Austria has experienced higher temperatures, a loss of its glaciers and several of its Alpine biospheres. It also ranks among the countries in the world with the highest historical and current carbon dioxide emissions per capita and its lack of climate policy is criticized by environmental organisations within the country.

Contributions to climate change[]

Greenhouse gas emissions[]

Austria is and has historically been a high carbon emitter. After industrializing during the 19th century, Austria was responsible for almost 1,4% of the world's carbon emissions in the years before World War I. In 2017, Austria was responsible for 0,37% of global carbon emissions,[1] despite accounting for only 0,12% of the world's population.[2] With 8,2 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita in 2018, Austria is among the countries with the highest carbon dioxide emissions worldwide and in Europe.

Different sources of electricity supply in Austria

Energy in Austria is especially reliant on hydropower. Other renewable energy in Austria is growing in importance as well.

In the 2018, Austria had the 27th highest carbon footprint per capita in the world.[3]

Largest emitters[]

Voestalpine in Linz is the biggest emitter of CO2 equivalents in Austria

Listed below is an overview of the ten largest emitters of CO2 equivalents registered in Austria in the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS).[4]

Large emitters in Austria
Emitter Verified emissions (tonnes of CO2e)[4] Registered activity Year
Voestalpine Stahl Linz 7816077 Production of pig iron or steel 2018
2923552 Production of pig iron or steel 2018
2824369 Refining of mineral oil 2018
Austrian Airlines AG 874529 Airline 2018
817246 Combustion of fuels 2018
742168 Combustion of fuels 2018
705651 Production of ammonia 2018
Dürnrohr Power Station 647794 Combustion of fuels 2018
630614 Combustion of fuels 2018
601756 Production of cement clinker 2018

Effects of climate change[]

Temperatures in Austria have risen 2 to 3 times higher than in other parts of the Northern Hemisphere. In the 20th century, temperatures rose by 1,8 °C, with temperature rises happening on all levels of elevation.[5] 14 of the 20 hottest years since the beginning of temperature records in 1786 until 2019 have been in the 21st century.[6] That temperatures rise more in Austria than in other parts of the world is on the one hand because Austria is a landlocked country and air heats up faster over land mass than over oceans. Also the rise of the subtropical high towards the North is considered a possible reason for this.[6] Temperatures will rise 1 to 2°C more until 2050, a global temperature rise of 2°C might lead to a rise of 4°C in Austria.[6]

Some effects of global warming are already starting to show its toll in Austria, with more projected to come in the future. Among them are more days with tropical weather, a longer growing season, more pests, more rain in winter, a retreat of snow cover in areas of lower and middle elevation, loss of humus, more landslides and rockfalls, a higher risk of wildfire and a change of channel flow of rivers.[6]

Like the global retreat of glaciers since 1850, glaciers in the Eastern Alps have lost 52% of their area and more than 60% of their mass within 150 years.[5] The Dachstein glacier is retreating since 1981 and has lost 44 m³ until 2019.[7]

Current/past Köppen climate classification map for Austria for 1980–2016
Predicted Köppen climate classification map for Austria for 2071–2100

Action on climate change[]

Adaptation[]

In order to slow down retreat of glaciers used by ski resorts, parts of the Stubai and Pitztal glaciers have since 2004 been covered with plastic. The overall retreat of the glaciers cannot be stopped by this measure, because it is too costly.[8][9]

Mitigation[]

Austria was part of the Kyoto Protocol and is part of the Paris Agreement. Austria pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 16% until 2020 compared to its emissions in 2005 and by 36% until 2030.[10]

In the Climate Change Performance Index for 2020, Austria ranks low and below the EU average. While ranking high on renewable energy, Austria was ranked low on greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and international climate policy, very low on national climate policy.[11]

Climate movement[]

Different grassroots group are active in Austria. Fridays for Future youth groups regularly organise climate protests in different cities in Austria. In the course of the September 2019 climate strikes, between 65.000 and 150.000 people protested for better climate politics, among them 30.000 to 80.000 in Vienna and 16.000 to 18.000 in Innsbruck.[12] The activist group System Change, not Climate Change has staged several actions for climate protection, among them disturbing a speech by Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz at the Austrian World Summit in Vienna in 2018.[13]

The public petition ("climate public petition") in June 2020 received more than 380.000 signatures.

Public Opinion[]

In a Eurobarometer opinion poll on climate change published in September 2008, 90% of Austrian respondents thought that climate change was a serious problem.[14] In 2019, 86% of respondents said it was a serious problem, below the average of the 28 EU member states.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ "Share of global cumulative CO2 emissions". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  2. ^ "Austria Population (2021) - Worldometer". www.worldometers.info. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  3. ^ "Food Carbon Footprint Index 2018". nu3.de (in German). 2019-11-28. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  4. ^ a b "Verified emissions 2018". European Union emissions trading system (EU ETS). Archived from the original on 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  5. ^ a b "Klimawandel und Artenvielfalt. Wie klimafit sind Österreichs Wälder, Flüsse und Alpenlandschaften?" (PDF). 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-07-13. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  6. ^ a b c d "Klimaschutzbericht 2019" (PDF). Umweltbundesamt. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  7. ^ "Dachstein-Gletscher könnten bald Geschichte sein". Die Presse (in German). 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  8. ^ M. Olefs & A. Fischer. "Comparative study of technical measures to reduce snow and ice ablation in Alpine glacier ski resorts" (PDF). in "Cold Regions Science and Technology, 2007". Archived from the original (PDF) on August 18, 2011. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  9. ^ "Eine Plastikhülle fürs Eis?". FOCUS Online (in German). Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  10. ^ "Verfehlung der Klimaziele könnte Österreich Milliarden kosten". DER STANDARD (in Austrian German). Retrieved 2021-09-04.
  11. ^ "Climate Change Performance Index 2020" (PDF). 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-04-26. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  12. ^ "Rekordbeteiligung in Österreich: Starkes Ende der Klimastreikwoche". news.ORF.at (in German). 2019-09-27. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  13. ^ "Klimakonferenz: Aktivisten stören Rede von Sebastian Kurz". kurier.at (in German). 2018-05-15. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  14. ^ "Europeans' attitudes towards climate change" (PDF). Eurobarometer. 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-10-21. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  15. ^ "Special Eurobarometer 490. Report. Climate Change" (PDF). Eurobarometer. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-09-23.
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