Climate change mitigation - Drivers and pressures (Austria)

Greenhouse gas emissions in Austria

In 2008, greenhouse gas emissions in Austria amounted to 86.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO₂ equivalents). They were thus 11% above the levels of 1990. Emissions in 2008 were 17.8 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents above the annual mean value of the Kyoto target stipulated for 20082012. If the intended use of flexible instruments under the Kyoto Protocol is taken into account, the gap amounts to 6.9 million tonnes of CO₂.

Sectoral emissions

The main sources in 2008 were industry (30.5%), transport (26.1%), energy supply (15.6%) and residential and commercial energy demand (13.8%). In the sectors industry and energy supply, around 80% of the emissions are caused by installations participating in emission trading (Umweltbundesamt 2010a).

Driving Forces

Around threequarters of GHG emissions result from energy use. For this reason, the growth in GHG emissions has gone handinhand with the increase in gross energy consumption and fossil fuel consumption.

Further factors of influence are economic and population growth; gross energy consumption per unit of valueadded; the use of renewable energy sources and changes in the mix of fuels.

Although gross energy consumption has grown by 36% against 1990, in real terms it has still increased less than GDP (52%) over the total period 19902008, albeit with significant sectoral differences.

The consumption of fossil fuels has largely paralleled energy consumption and GHG emissions have decoupled slightly from this over the course of the time series. The main reason for this effect is the reduction of emissions in the nonenergy sectors (around 25% mainly agriculture and waste). Other factors worth noting are greater use of lowcarbon fuels (due to a significant reduction in the use of lignite and the changeover from coal to gas); the growth in the use of renewable energy sources and the increased import of electricity (Umweltbundesamt 2009a). In Austria there is no nuclear power plant in operation.

Austria has a higherthanaverage share of renewable energy sources compared to other industrialised countries which amounted to 9.7% hydro power and 17.1% other renewables (mainly biomass, but also wind power, geothermal power, and solar power) of total gross energy consumption  in 2008. (without net imports/exports for electricity). Nevertheless, energy supply in Austria is still heavily dependent on fossil fuels, with a share of 72.1%, but uses no own nuclear sources for electric power generation due to the ban on nuclear power.

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