Fear of extreme weather

Austria is ready for a climate-friendly turnaround

In mid-September, the Vienna River swelled so much that it overflowed its banks and flooded houses, streets and even subway tracks.

(Bild: APA/AFP )

Despite the multiple crises, Austrians are still very concerned about climate change - they are calling for more countermeasures. The fear of extreme weather events is particularly high.

"The multiple crises of recent years have overshadowed the issue of climate change. Nevertheless, the vast majority of respondents are still interested and see concrete climate protection measures as necessary," said Bertram Barth, Managing Director of the market research institute, commenting on a survey presented by the environmental initiative "Mother Earth" and Greenpeace at a press conference in Vienna on Wednesday. However, he warned that many people "still feel insufficiently informed about the meaningfulness of individual measures".

The majority see a challenge for politicians: A good three quarters of those surveyed would be in favor of abolishing VAT on train tickets and public transport. Sixty-eight percent each consider the abolition of oil and gas heating systems and higher prices for climate-damaging products to be sensible. 30 percent agree that no new cars with combustion engines should be registered in Europe from 2035.

"People in Austria are ready for a climate-friendly turnaround," concluded Greenpeace Program Director Adam Pawloff. The next government must therefore phase out fossil fuels, cut climate-damaging subsidies and invest massively in public transport instead.

Climate change fuels weather extremes
More than three quarters (78%) see a connection between weather extremes and climate change. In 2022, this figure was as high as 80 percent. In a supplementary survey conducted at the beginning of October, eleven percent stated that they had already been affected by extreme weather events. 27% rated the risk of being hit by damage from hail, drought or flooding in the future as high. Only four percent believe that they and their environment will not be damaged by extreme weather in the future.

69 percent of respondents are interested in the topic of climate, but only 13 percent feel very well informed, while half feel moderately or not at all well informed. "Our aim is to inform Austria about climate change and its complex consequences and to show solutions and ways out," said Anita Malli, Managing Director of "Mother Earth". The current focus "Water changes everything" will take place from October 25 to November 4. The environmental initiative was launched in 2014 by ORF together with environmental and nature conservation organizations.