Austria’s climate target for 2030 will not be reached in time, the National Energy and Climate Plan (NEKP) revealed on Tuesday.
The plan presented a carbon reduction of 35% compared to 2005 levels – far below the 48% previously envisaged.
However, Austrian Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) is now seeking concrete proposals to bridge this gap. “What we don’t need are opinions that only say how not to do it”, she stressed, APA reported.
In a public consultation until 31 August, stakeholders, NGOs, and political parties will provide input on how the still missing reduction can be achieved. The European Commission would also provide feedback on the draft plan, which must be finalised by June 2024, Gewessler added.
The NEKP was criticised by various stakeholders, including the centre-left SPÖ, liberal NEOS, environmental organisations, the Chamber of Agriculture (LK), and the Chamber of Commerce (WK), who pointed to deficiencies in the plan’s content and the procedure followed.
While the SPÖ considered the NEKP “too late and insufficient”, the LK and the WK criticised it as a “sham integration”.
“With the currently planned measures, Austria will miss the EU climate targets by around 16 million tonnes of greenhouse gases,” said WWF climate and energy spokesperson Karl Schellmann.
After the Federal Environment Agency revealed that Austria would fall short of reaching its climate targets back in March, the governing Green Party blamed its conservative coalition partner, telling EURACTIV that, in parliament, they often decide on matters alone.
(Chiara Swaton | EURACTIV.de)
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