Austria’s Heavy Industry ‘More Climate-Friendly’ Than Abroad

Austria’s Heavy Industry ‘More Climate-Friendly’ Than Abroad

Image: APA/dpa/Sina Schuldt

 

Austria’s industrial sector is producing goods with significantly lower carbon emissions compared to other countries, a new study has found.

According to calculations from the Institute for Industrial Ecology, the production of steel in Austria results in half the CO2 emissions of the same amount produced abroad, for example.

The findings were presented on Thursday by oecolution, an association funded by the Chamber of Commerce and industry groups.

Consumption-Based Approach

The study takes a consumption-based approach, which accounts for the greenhouse gases emitted during the production of goods imported to Austria. By this method, the global CO2 footprint of Austria’s consumption in 2023 amounted to 115 million tonnes – nearly 70% more than the 68 million tonnes that Austria emitted domestically, according to its climate balance.

“In terms of global climate protection, offshoring emissions is not sensible,” said Andreas Windsperger, the study’s author. He stressed that maintaining Austria’s relatively clean industrial sector is beneficial not only for the economy and jobs but also for global climate protection.

However, oecolution has warned against relaxing climate protection regulations to retain industry in the country.

Elisabeth Zehetner, the association’s CEO, suggested that Austria should reconsider its goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2040, ten years earlier than the EU as a whole. “We don’t need to be faster than the EU,” she said. “The most important lever to become competitive again is a massive expansion of renewable energies and a transition away from fossil fuels.”

Austria’s Industrial Sector Faces Continued Downturn, No Recovery in Sight

At the same time, the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) has warned that the country’s industrial sector has been grappling with a downturn since mid-2021, and there is little hope for an imminent recovery.

“The industry is in a dire situation,” said Christian Helmenstein, the IV’s chief economist, during a press conference on Thursday. He added that the ongoing recession is “still impacting industry” and threatening “Austria’s prosperity.” “Currently, there are no signs of a turnaround for the better,” he remarked.

Helmenstein called for a “disruptive shift in economic policy for Austria and Europe” and highlighted “the increasingly uncompetitive domestic conditions” and the ongoing process of “de-industrialisation.”

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