Photo: Lebensministerium
Climate Protection
Austria intends to meet the Kyoto target through its national climate strategy.In 1992 the United Nations in their Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) agreed to stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent hazardous human interference with the climate system.
The target the EU heads of government gave in March 2005 was to restrict the average global warming to less than 2°C compared to the pre-industrial level.What are greenhouse gases? Greenhouse gases are gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect experienced on earth. They can be of natural origin or human-induced. These gases absorb part of the heat radiation emitted from the earth that would otherwise be allowed to escape into space again. Consequently, like in a greenhouse this contributes to warming the climate-relevant layer of the atmosphere close to the earth.
Whereas the natural greenhouse gases probably made a crucial contribution to making life possible on earth, too much of greenhouse gas will probably lead to irreversible global warming with all consequences of the change in global climate systems.
The greenhouse gases observed in the framework of the Kyoto Protocol are carbon dioxide (CO2 ), which serves as a reference value, methane (CH4 ), dinitrogen monoxide (laughing gas, N2 O), partially halogenated and perfluorinated hydrofluorocarbons (H-FKW, HFCs), and sulphur hexafluoride (SF6 ). They are produced mainly in the course of combustion.
What is the Kyoto Protocol? It is an international agreement on climate protection. It sets forth legally binding targets on the reduction of the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the industrialised nations. The Kyoto Protocol was ratified by Austria and the EU in 2002. Austria has undertaken to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 13% compared to the reference year 1990 in the period 2008-2012.
To reach the targets of the Kyoto Protocol the Austrian Climate Strategy was adopted, which was prepared in 2002 and updated in 2007. It lays down the target values and measures for eight sectors, among them the industry and the manufacturing sector, transport, energy production, room heating and other small-scale consumption, agriculture, waste management, fluorinated gases and other CO2 + N2 O+CH4 emissions.
Meanwhile, greenhouse gas emissions have further increased to totally 93.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2 ). Based on the current Austrian Air Pollutant Inventory, Austria’s Kyoto target is 68.8 million tonnes of CO2 . The amount of emissions emitted in 2005 is thus 18 percent above the value of the reference year and about 24.5 million tonnes of CO2 , or 36 percent, above the Kyoto target.
Which shares do the main sources of emission have in the total greenhouse gas emissions 2005?
· 26.5 percent industry
· 26.2 percent transport
· 17.1 percent energy production
· 16.7 percent room heating and other small-scale consumption
· 8.4 percent agriculture
· 2.4 percent waste management
· 1.4 percent fluorinated gases
· 1.3 percent other
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The main reason for the strong increase in greenhouse gases is transport, which experienced a 91.5% rise from 1990 to 2005. Methane emissions from waste management and agriculture show a downward trend. The same applies to the fluorinated gases. The emissions from industry and households are slightly rising.
How does Austria plan to reach its Kyoto targets? The cornerstones of the Austrian Climate Strategy are the promotion of the energy efficiency in buildings as well as of the share of renewable energy resources for power generation, subsidies for short-distance biomass heating systems, control measures and awareness raising in connection with transport, the implementation of the Landfill Ordinance as well as the use of the flexible mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol.
25.08.2008, Lebensministerium Öffentlichkeitsarbeit