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Climate: NGOs will file a complaint against the Austrian state

Several environmental NGOs announced this week that they would lodge a complaint against Austria for its lack of action on climate protection.

From our correspondent in Vienna,

These associations, including the Austrian branch of Greenpeace, rely on a report showing that Austria's greenhouse gas emissions in 2017 exceeded by more than two million tonnes the maximum values ​​set by the European Union. 'European Union.

This report has been known to the authorities since January 2019. According to the NGOs, the Austrian law provides that after the awareness of an emission exceedance, measures must be decided within six months to stop the phenomenon. . This has not been done since last January, according to the associations, neither by the former right-extreme right government, nor by the government of experts who is currently acting, hence this complaint.

The Ministry of the Environment reacted immediately, explaining that it was doing a different analysis of Austrian law and that measures were currently under consideration.

Austrian paradox

This complaint shows the complexity of the Austrian situation, as Austria is ahead of many ecological issues. For example, 25% of Austrian agricultural land is dedicated to organic produce, the highest rate in the European Union. The same goes for renewable energies, which account for 33% of national energy consumption, almost double the European average.

And yet, Austria emits a lot of CO2, mainly because of the transport sector. Between 1990 and 2017, Austria is one of six European countries where greenhouse gas emissions have continued to increase while they have, on average, fallen by 22% in the whole of Europe. 'Union.

Towards a greener government?

So there is a lot of progress to be made but the situation could change in the coming months as this complaint comes as the first negotiations started between the parties to form a government coalition.

Currently the conservatives, who came first in the legislative elections last September, are continuing discussions with the various parties except for the extreme right, which has preferred to withdraw for the moment. As a result, the scenario of an alliance between the conservatives and the Greens, who achieved a breakthrough, garnering nearly 14% of the votes, seems likely.

This option is in any case favored by Austrians, according to a recent survey. The two parties are meeting again today, a meeting that will be scrutinized by NGOs who want to make sure that the climate issue is one of the central themes. Because this is the challenge for the Austrian Greens: to negotiate without denying oneself, a task that proves difficult as the differences with the Conservatives are great.

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