Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Austria Decreased in 2024
According to preliminary data, greenhouse gas emissions in 2024 will thus reach 66.9 million tons, as the Environment Agency Austria announced in a press release on Wednesday. In the last three years, greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by a total of 14.3 percent or 11.1 million tons of CO2 equivalents.
Measures from the National Climate and Energy Plan needed for further reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
The decline in emissions is partly due to economic influences, geopolitical uncertainties, and milder weather in the previous year, according to the Environment Agency Austria. Equally important, however, were climate protection measures such as CO2 pricing or the ongoing expansion of renewable energy and subsidies, as shown by an analysis from the Wegener Center at the University of Graz.
"To continue this positive trend and move closer to the goal of climate neutrality, it is important to implement the measures from the National Climate and Energy Plan (NEKP) and also to quickly address the reduction of climate-damaging subsidies," said Günther Lichtblau, climate expert at the Environment Agency Austria. "This is associated with economic and social benefits," added Karl Steininger, head of the Wegener Center for Climate and Global Change at the University of Graz.
"Climate ticket, subsidies for boiler replacement, public transport expansion - our measures have worked," said Green Party leader Leonore Gewessler in response to the current figures. The current government is "on the wrong track" if it cuts subsidies there "and at the same time spends billions on climate-damaging subsidies. This harms the people in our country - now and for the future."
Greenhouse gas emissions: Decline in emissions trading at 2.2 percent
In the emissions trading sector (EU-ETS), there was a decrease of 0.5 million tons of CO2 equivalents (minus 2.2 percent) compared to 2023. The declines were particularly noted in energy production and in industrial sectors such as paper, chemicals, cement, lime, and steel - there was a slight increase in emissions in oil refining. According to preliminary data, greenhouse gas emissions from the sectors of the Climate Protection Act decreased by about 1.2 million tons of CO2 equivalents (minus 2.8 percent) - around 0.5 million tons in the transport sector and 0.4 million tons in the building sector. The approximately 43 million tons of CO2 equivalents reached in the non-emissions trading sector (Effort Sharing) in 2024 are slightly (by 0.07 million tons) above the nationally permissible maximum for 2024 according to the data. Detailed data on compliance will be available with the Austrian Air Pollutant Inventory in January 2026.
2030 goals require reduction of climate-damaging subsidies
For the further development of greenhouse gas emissions with regard to Austria's 2030 target from the Effort Sharing Regulation of minus 48 percent GHG, the Environment Agency Austria has calculated two scenarios. In the scenario with existing measures (WEM), only a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the non-emissions trading sector of around 33 percent is expected by 2030. However, if the measures set out in the National Energy and Climate Plan (NEKP) were implemented, a reduction in emissions of 41 percent by 2030 compared to 2005 is possible according to calculations by the Environment Agency Austria (WAM scenario). For the actual target of minus 48 percent by 2030, however, the rapid reduction of climate-damaging subsidies, the implementation of CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage), as well as the use of flexibilities in emissions trading would be crucial.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.