Climate neutrality by 2040 – the citizens’ climate council has set itself this ambitious goal. The results of this working group were presented Monday, on which 100 randomly selected Austrians agreed in about six months. More than 90 measures to keep the country climate healthy were presented – the process was supervised by 15 scientists and a moderation team. The recommendations are handed over to the federal government in the afternoon – including a 90 km/h speed limit on federal roads and a city toll.
The Climate Council agreed on more than 90 recommendations for a climate-healthy Austria. He discussed and negotiated the areas of action mobility, energy, food and land use, consumption and production and life in small groups until the teams were largely in agreement. The proposals then went to the plenary until broad agreement was reached there too.
No agreement on hotly debated 100 km/h speed limit
On Monday morning, selected participants presented the results of their work in a press conference. This includes enshrining a fundamental right to climate protection, a ban on soil sealing, the elimination of fossil fuel subsidies, the establishment of an impartial climate commission, greenhouse gas tariffs for food from third countries, increased taxes on climate-damaging vehicles and much more. A hot topic, the speed limit of 100 km/h, did not make it into the report. However, there is a 90 km/h speed limit for national roads and a congestion charge.
Coordinator: ‘Climate Council cannot replace political institutions’
The Scientific Advisory Council supports the requirements: “The depth, breadth and care of the discussion process and decision-making legitimize the result of the Climate Council”, the statement states. Citizens had shown the knowledge that the population would go much further than expected when it came to climate protection, summarized coordinator Georg Kaser. However, Georg Tappeiner of the moderation team noted, “Such a climate council cannot replace political institutions.”
In the afternoon, the Climate Council presented the recommendations to Minister of Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler (Greens) and Minister of Economy Martin Kocher (ÖVP). Gewessler had announced in advance that he would carefully examine all of the recommendations and implement some of them. “But I cannot promise that we can implement them all,” said the minister.
The environmental protection organization GLOBAL 2000 welcomed the results of the Climate Council and at the same time called on politicians to take action.
Source: Krone
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