2023-07-24 16:03:04
Linz, Salzburg, Dornbirn and Wiener Neustadt are becoming new pioneer cities and are jointly on the way to climate neutrality
Vienna (OTS) – The mission “Climate-neutral city” opens up opportunities for a resource-saving, climate-neutral way of doing business and living. Linz, Salzburg, Dornbirn and Wiener Neustadt have successfully applied and are now among the ten pioneer cities – along with Vienna, Graz, St. Pölten, Klagenfurt, Villach and Innsbruck. The aim of the initiative is to enable cities to implement their own strategies for the energy and mobility transition and the circular economy. They gear their administration entirely to climate neutrality and implement new, innovative solutions. Each city will receive funding of two million euros.
“Cities play a central role in the fight against the climate crisis. I am therefore very pleased that four more pioneer cities, Linz, Salzburg, Dornbirn and Wiener Neustadt, are becoming climate-neutral pioneers. They show how we can join forces to implement ambitious climate targets locally,” says Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler.
“The pioneer cities are committed trailblazers for the transformation towards climate neutrality. In cooperation with their cooperation partners, they develop innovative solutions and quickly put research results into practice. In doing so, they make an important contribution to achieving the climate goals and also show the importance of research and innovation for the sustainable development of our society,” say Henrietta Egerth and Klaus Pseiner, Managing Directors of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency.
Role models for quality of life and climate neutrality
Cities play a central role in combating the climate crisis. They cause around three quarters of global CO2 emissions and are responsible for 78 percent of global energy consumption. More and more people will continue to live in urban areas in the future and will be particularly exposed to the effects of climate change, from heat waves to air pollution and extreme weather events.
As economic engines and centers for research and innovation, cities also have a special potential to develop new solution strategies and thus become pioneers in climate protection and climate change adaptation. Climate-neutral city quarters are fit for the future and offer a liveable, safe environment. Among other things, they are characterized by the high quality of living and life, renewable energy supply, attractive mobility offers, good infrastructure, sufficient green and open spaces, opportunities for participation and good social interaction.
Pioneer cities are important role models and serve as valuable learning environments: Other Austrian cities will benefit from the accumulation of knowledge and insights and can take up strategies and activities that have already been tried and tested.
About the Carbon Neutral City mission
With the “Climate-neutral city” mission, the Ministry of Climate Protection (BMK), in cooperation with the Climate and Energy Fund, supports Austrian cities in becoming climate-neutral more quickly through research and development.
Pioneer cities are moving forward together and developing practical, climate-effective solutions for the energy and mobility transition and the circular economy, which are to be implemented and disseminated quickly.
Comprehensive research activities and accompanying measures pave the way for advancing the climate-friendly development of cities. This means more quality of life, health, secure care and social cohesion for the city dwellers.
The mission is accompanied by AustriaTech – the Federal Society for Technology Policy Measures, the Austrian Research Promotion Agency (FFG), the Austrian Society for the Environment and Technology (ÖGUT) and the Salzburg Institute for Regional Planning and Housing (SIR).
Questions & contact:
BM for climate protection, environment, energy, mobility, innovation and technology
Uta Hauft
Press spokeswoman for the Federal Minister
+43 1 71162-658114
uta.haft@bmk.gv.at
1690217763
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