Environment Minister Gewessler presents final energy and climate plan
The legally binding EU climate target stipulates that all countries must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 46% or 48% by 2030 compared to 2005 and present a climate plan describing how they intend to achieve this target. "We will almost halve our emissions compared to 2005," explained Gewessler. Two percent of this may be compensated for through emissions trading (ETS), which is also provided for in the NECP. Furthermore, the share of renewable energy in gross final energy consumption must be increased to 57%, which is also provided for in the final NECP.
Overview of measures in the NEKP
Abolition of climate-damaging subsidies
The revised NECP now contains several new measures, "first and foremost the extensive abolition of climate-damaging subsidies", according to the minister, with which the government aims to save 2 million tons of CO2 emissions every year.
"This means that we are also seriously addressing the diesel privilege, the fuel tourism that results from it and the tax benefits for company cars," emphasized Gewessler at the presentation of the climate plan. The diesel privilege means lower mineral oil tax compared to petrol.
However, the exact packages have not yet been specified and will have to be implemented by the next government. It seems that there is a lot of room for interpretation as to exactly which points are part of the climate-damaging subsidies.
On the other hand, so-called sector targets for agriculture and the transport sector, for example, were dropped again in the final NECP, which NGOs criticize.
Maintaining high subsidies
The climate plan also includes maintaining the high level of subsidies for replacing heating systems and renovating buildings until 2030, although some subsidies and programs are only secured until 2027. This includes, for example, the financing of the climate ticket.
Expansion of the hydrogen strategy
The production of hydrogen for domestic industry is to be greatly expanded.
Carbon storage as part of the climate strategy
This NECP emphasizes the important role of "increasing carbon uptake and storage through targeted forest management and maintenance measures" and "carbon storage both in agriculture and forestry" and through technical storage options that do not yet exist, such as CCS (carbon capture and storage).
The technical storage of carbon CCS is to be used in future wherever greenhouse gas emissions cannot be avoided, for example in steel and cement production. Greenpeace Austria criticizes the fact that carbon storage has hardly been tested and poses enormous environmental risks.
Unlike these technical storage options, the framework conditions for which are only being created on the basis of the Carbon Management Strategy, natural sinks for climate-damaging greenhouse gases are immediately available - and urgently worth protecting, emphasizes WWF Austria in a press release. Here too, however, the NECP remains vague. A scenario on the concrete potential will not be available until the end of this year.
