It is an encouraging trend that is beginning to emerge in Austria. After greenhouse gas emissions had already fallen by 6.4 percent in the previous year, this year might have brought an even greater decline in gases that have an impact on the climate, reports the “Kleine Zeitung”.
According to an initial forecast by the Wegener Center at the University of Graz, Austria’s greenhouse gas emissions are likely to have fallen by 6.9 percent or five million tons in 2023. The country would therefore have a total climate footprint of 67.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent, which would be the lowest value since the 1980s.
The researchers estimate the degree of uncertainty in the calculations to be plus/minus two percentage points. The basis for the projection is the consumption data for natural gas, electricity (until October 2023) and petroleum products (until July 2023). These all show steep declines. Gas consumption is expected to have fallen by 16 percent this year, diesel by seven percent, and gasoline and heating oil have both fallen by around two percent. The only exception is kerosene. Air traffic emissions have been increasing in Austria since 2021 and, according to calculations, rose by around a quarter to 4.7 million tons this year. Overall, Austria’s emissions are likely to have fallen in all key sectors this year. The scientists expect a decline of 8.5 percent for industry and energy production, which are subject to European emissions trading, and a decline of 6 percent for the remaining areas. “For the first time since 2021, the years have shown a trend that makes the reductions planned for 2030 in accordance with the EU climate targets appear achievable,” says Gottfried Kirchengast, climate researcher at the Wegener Center. Austria is obliged to Brussels to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 48 percent by 2030 (compared to 2005 levels). However, the goal can only be achieved if the decline of the past two years continues in the future. However, the researchers express doubts regarding this. The expansion of renewable energy production and better energy efficiency are also partly responsible for the positive trend. “But mostly it was special effects that came into play,” says Kirchengast. Among other things, these include the pressure on energy prices and the largely stagnating economy in terms of GDP.
