The first federal state

What the new climate law means for Vienna

The renaturation of the Wien River is also part of the 100 measures in Vienna's climate roadmap.(Bild: Stadt Wien/Wiener Gewässer)

The city is now legally committed to its climate targets - the first province in Austria to do so to date

It is intended to be another milestone on the road to a climate-friendly future - Vienna's first climate law. Mayor Michael Ludwig, Climate City Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky (both SPÖ) and Deputy Mayor Christoph Wiederkehr (Neos) presented the first details on Tuesday. But what does the law actually mean for the Viennese?

Deputy Mayor Christoph WIederkehr (Neos), Mayor Michael Ludwig (SPÖ) and Climate Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky (from left to right)(Bild: Zwefo)

The existing climate roadmap with its 100 measures is clearly to be continued. These include the enormously ambitious goal of becoming completely CO2-neutral by 2040. They also include the "Raus aus Gas" program with the installation of large heat pumps, the energy transition with the solar power offensive, the green space offensive including renaturation, where the Breitenlee nature conservation area was launched as an Austria-wide and Europe-wide showcase project, and the expansion of climate-friendly mobility in the form of the U2/U5 (extension). The 3 Cs should serve as the foundation for climate neutrality: Climate protection through sustainable energy projects such as the solar power offensive or "Raus aus Gas". Climate adaptation with greening measures, cooling spaces and heat prevention. And a circular economy to use resources efficiently and recycle waste in a climate-friendly way. With Austria's first climate law, the city is now binding itself to the climate targets, says Czernohorszky.

2024 was the warmest year since records began
From a global perspective, 2024 was certainly not a good year for the climate: not only was it the warmest since records began, but the annual temperature was also 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels for the first time. Climate change is also having an impact on Austria's population. "The fact that our measures are already bearing fruit is shown by the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by a full 12 percent in 2023 - twice as high as the Austrian average, which is also due to our measures," says City Mayor Ludwig proudly. Burgenland is now also set to introduce its own climate law. 

Greens: "Draft law remains vague and non-binding"
Criticism of the proposed climate law comes from the Greens. "A climate law that excludes the transport sector, which is responsible for around 40% of all CO2 emissions in Vienna, and remains toothless when it comes to construction projects cannot meet the challenges of the climate crisis," says party leader Peter Kraus. In any case, the final legislative text will be submitted to the state parliament for approval in spring 2025.