Austria's soil consumption: alarming losses threaten the future!

Austria's soil consumption: alarming losses threaten the future!

Wien, Österreich - In Austria, soil protection is at the top of the political agenda. The WWF warns of threatening developments: the construction of the Lobau motorway alone could be lost up to 130 hectares of valuable agricultural areas. Simon Pories, spokesman for soil protection at the WWF, criticized the planned acceleration of construction processes, as this could undermine important environmental standards. This warning follows calculations that show that despite a weakening construction industry in 2024, around 25 square kilometers of soil were newly sealed - an area that corresponds approximately to the size of the Traunsee, and thus far above the target of 2.5 hectares per year, such as reported.

The environmental protection organization therefore calls for a strong soil protection package in its negotiations with the new federal government, which includes a binding upper limit for soil consumption and reforms in the tax system. According to Pories, politics has failed annually since the promise of a “sustainability goal” in 2002 and lost a total of over 100,000 hectares of fruitland. Spatial planning expert Gerlind Weber criticizes the "wasteful sealing of the soils" and emphasizes that the future federal government has to take measures to promote area -friendly interior development instead of consuming new areas. This is particularly urgent in view of the latest climate crises, which according to Weber exert additional pressure on agriculture, as explained in the press release of OTS

In order to ensure the self -sufficiency and long -term security of the country, binding soil protection is inevitable. A well -planned renaturation program was needed to counteract the progressive seal. Weber also calls for an immediate stop of all new motorway and expressway projects, since Austria has an already extremely dense road network. It is time to focus on sustainability and reduce environmental damage in order to be able to better manage future crises.