The dramatic floods mean that climate and environmental protection are once again an issue in the final part of the election campaign. In 2019, these were the dominant election motives. A check of the election manifestos gives the ÖVP and FPÖ bad marks. According to a recent survey, voters want more climate protection from politicians.
Almost all parties are lagging behind the climate policy will of their voters. This is evident from a new survey by the KONTEXT Institute for Climate Issues on the occasion of the National Council election. Across party lines, almost three quarters of respondents said that climate protection was an important concern for them. 13 of the 22 measures and statements examined received majority support among voters of all parties – including those of the FPÖ.
Voters expect more climate protection
For the representative survey, marketagent interviewed 1,022 eligible Austrians between the ages of 16 and 75 online between September 9 and 16, 2024. Almost two-thirds expect their chosen party to be more committed to climate policy.
“In order to achieve the climate targets by 2030, the next cabinet must be ambitious and courageous in its climate policy. The comparison with the existing election manifestos shows that the ÖVP and FPÖ in particular have some catching up to do justice to the will of their respective voters,” says Katharina Rogenhofer, director of the KONTEXT Institute for Climate Issues, presenting the results of the survey.
While the issue of renaturation almost led to a rift in the coalition this summer, voters of the governing parties agree on its necessity in view of extreme weather conditions (ÖVP: 87.2 percent; Greens: 98.1 percent).
There is also a great deal of agreement on soil protection: soil sealing should not only be reduced (according to 86.6 percent of all respondents), but even be limited by binding limit values (75.7 percent). This last figure is above the average among ÖVP voters at 77 percent, and not far below the average among FPÖ voters at 62.7 percent.
Flood protection only appears in the programs of the ÖVP and the Greens
This attitude of voters is not reflected in the election programs of the parties. The word “flood” or “flood protection” is only used by the Greens and the ÖVP. The environmental protection organization Greenpeace examined the election programs of the parties for climate and environmental protection and made an analysis.
The ÖVP and FPÖ in particular score poorly: the election programs of both parties do not contain sufficient solutions for the climate crisis, no plans for a consistent nature restoration or binding targets against soil sealing. Instead, the measures proposed by the ÖVP and FPÖ exacerbate the climate crisis. The Greens, SPÖ, NEOS, KPÖ and the BIER party focus on ecological measures in their programs, with the Greens performing best in the comparison of environmental policy parties.
Jasmin Duregger, climate and energy expert at Greenpeace: “The floods of the past few days are the result of decades of government failure. Infiltration areas were destroyed and closed off, and climate protection was only half-heartedly pursued. The new federal government of Austria must prioritize climate and environmental protection.”
Everyone is committed to expanding public transport
The party control is carried out on the basis of fifteen demands that the environmental organisation sent to the parties in advance with a request for declarations. These include key environmental issues such as soil protection, climate protection and nature conservation. For example, when it came to the transport transition, all parties spoke out in favour of expanding public transport, but at the same time the FPÖ and ÖVP parties advocated the climate-damaging combustion engine.
But there is no consensus when it comes to soil protection
When it comes to soil protection, the parties’ ambitions differ considerably: the ÖVP, for example, which sometimes even wants to promote new construction by abolishing taxes and additional fees, and the FPÖ, which rejects a levy on speculatively vacant residential space as a “hidden wealth tax”, are negatively noticeable. The BIER party and NEOS also offer few measures to curb the unbridled development of our natural and agricultural areas. The SPÖ and KPÖ, on the other hand, are more ambitious and their election manifestos sometimes focus on mobilizing vacant residential space and recycling land. However, only the Greens meet all of Greenpeace’s demands for effective soil protection.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
