Lower Austrian Greens demand faster climate action from state government

The Greens in Lower Austria have called on the state government to step up climate action, presenting five demands on Thursday. State party leader Helga Krismer said more was needed on heat protection, water use, renewable energy, transport and river restoration, ORF reported.

The call follows Austria’s hottest summer on record. The Agency for Health and Food Safety estimates that heat caused 1,008 deaths across the country between June and September, including 223 in Lower Austria. Krismer said the figures showed the need for urgent action and criticised the government for making too little use of its powers, particularly in spatial planning, renewable energy and public transport.

The Greens want additional heat protection measures in place by summer 2027. Krismer cited bureaucratic obstacles to installing external blinds in protected zones. Lower Austria already has a heat protection plan and warning system, but the party is calling for further steps.

The party also wants agricultural water use measured sooner and more comprehensively. A planned national register of water withdrawals is due to begin recording large groundwater withdrawals in July 2029, with the first reports of actual volumes scheduled for 2031. The Greens are also calling for faster expansion of renewable energy and electricity grids, more investment in public transport and cycle paths instead of further road projects, and river restoration to help protect against floods and drought.

The state has already adopted a climate and energy programme containing 305 measures, including plans for wind power, solar power, electricity grids and public transport, as well as heat protection. The ÖVP, FPÖ and SPÖ backed the programme in June; the Greens and NEOS voted against it.

Deputy Governor Stephan Pernkopf of the ÖVP pointed to progress on Thursday, saying the state government had approved more than 200 new wind turbines, with further projects under review. Lower Austria has more than 160,000 photovoltaic systems, he said. The state says greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 36 per cent since 2005 and dropped a further 0.8 per cent in 2025.

Pernkopf also said the state was making progress on spatial planning. New regional planning programmes presented on Monday include around 1,700 settlement boundaries intended to limit further development.