Plus of 6.5 percent! – Austria’s emissions have risen sharply again in 2021

“From 2021, we will only have a maximum of 700 million tons of CO2 equivalents available on the road to climate neutrality,” Kirchengast calculated. “This means that Austria must achieve a reduction of at least 95 percent by 2040, of which at least 90 percent mainly in the field of fossil energy and industry,” says the climate researcher from the University of Graz.

Austria far away from climate goals
To achieve this target, a maximum of 550 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent may be emitted between 2021 and 2030. “Because if less than 150 million tons remain in the budget from 2031 to 2040, that would require an emissions reduction rate of more than ten percent per year, which is unrealistic to implement,” Kirchengast said.

“Sustainable carbon storage in agriculture and forestry should be developed in parallel with the phasing out of fossil fuels. This means that about five percent of the current amount of emissions from soil and forest management can be bound in an ecologically responsible and sustainable way,’ says the researcher.

According to Kirchengast, in order to actually achieve the set climate targets and avoid high costs due to inaction, it is crucial that the calculated maximum total greenhouse gas budget and the associated climate protection target paths are legally binding.