Blue-yellow becomes green. At least, that’s what the governor of Lower Austria, Johanna Mikl-Leitner, jokingly assures in the big eco-interview. The head of state proposes an even greener path – also with fresh local fruit! In fact, the vast country is considered an ecological showcase region in Europe.
„krone“: The young eco-glues have not yet hit the streets in St. Pölten. And the beautiful works of art in the State Museum have so far been spared from soup pours. What do you think of Fridays for Future & Co?
Johanna Mikl-Leitner: In principle, I greatly appreciate the efforts of young people, who are clearly genuinely concerned about the future of the planet. And I understand their concerns. But there are other ways to save the world that don’t damage valuable works of art.
That would be?
Well, we recently held a youth climate conference at the Zwentendorf nuclear power plant, and we’re just getting the young people on board. In general, everyone can and should do their part. This is also peaceful.
From the road to the field! Time and again, the vast country has been accused of being the European champion in building open spaces.
Just the opposite is the case!
But if you drive through the landscape with your eyes open, you can see it turning quite gray.
These are building land reserves that were designated as such decades ago.
So the blue-yellow future is a green one?
Yes of course! We fight intensively against soil erosion and sealing.
How is that possible?
Lower Austria has one of the strictest spatial planning laws and we’ve put a lot of pressure on allotment!
Is that enough to preserve valuable greenery?
We even go a step further and once again open up large tracts of land that have already been built on. That is how we are exemplary. We also strive for ecological networking of neighboring communities so that not every place builds a business park. I think to myself, this is the spatial planning of the future.
In fact a brave new world in Lower Austria?
I would think so. Our emissions fell by four percent between 1990 and 2019, but increased by two percent in Austria.
Does that sound like a Christmas eco-miracle?
Well, there are good reasons for that.
For example?
We consistently focus on expanding renewable energy sources. By 2035, 12,000 wind turbines should be up and running. Now we have 4130.
Isn’t that at the expense of nature?
We only do this in harmony with creation! And when it comes to hydropower, we focus on upgrading existing power plants. We have also planted ten million trees since 2017.
Source: Krone
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
