Austria celebrates a decline in greenhouse gas emissions-a ray of hope for the climate!

Austria celebrates a decline in greenhouse gas emissions-a ray of hope for the climate!

Österreich - Austria has gratifying news in the fight against climate change: In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions fell by about 2.7 percent, which corresponds to a reduction of around 1.9 million tons of CO₂ equivalents. This is already the third decline in a row. The Federal Environment Agency in Austria emphasizes that the positive trend in the sectors building and traffic is particularly clear where emissions have decreased by eleven or four percent. According to climate expert Günther Lichtblau, this shows that environmental protection measures have an effect, but continues to have an action to achieve the climate goals, as krone.at reported.

climate protection in focus

The current data illustrate a decline in Austria, but the situation in Germany is worrying. Federal Environment President Dirk Messner warned that forests of carbon sinks have become emission sources. The strongest decline in greenhouse gas emissions in Germany was recorded in the energy sector, where they were reduced by 21.1 percent. This reduction is primarily due to the reduced use of fossil fuels. The emissions in industry also dropped by seven percent, which is due to increasing manufacturing costs and negative economic development. Messner called for a modernization of the German economy for more efficiency and climate protection, so Environmental Bundesamt.de Next.

In addition, energy consumption in households dropped due to mild winter temperatures, which reduces emissions in the building sector by 6.9 percent. Despite these positive developments, there are major challenges, especially in connection with the status of the forests and the long -term effects of the drought years on the environment. The overall balance sheet shows that committed use to protect the climate remains essential to achieve the targeted goals.