Greenhouse gas emissions decline in Austria: researchers reveal causes

Increasing the share of renewable energy makes a key contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Austria. Photo: U-STUDIOGRAPHY DD59 - stock.adobe.com

Good news: greenhouse gas emissions in Austria fell by 6.4 percent in 2023, as announced by the Federal Ministry for Climate Action and the Environment Agency at a press conference today. Researchers at the University of Graz have analysed the causes for this reduction. The main reasons are changes in production processes and the behaviour of the population. They resulted in a 5.6 percent drop in emissions. A further drop of 0.8 percent was due to lower economic activity and the warm winter.

In the last two years, greenhouse gas emissions have fallen significantly for the first time: by 5.8% in 2022 and 6.4% in 2023, in each case compared to the previous year. Before that, they remained relatively stable for a long period, apart from the sharp decline caused by the COVID-related lockdown. "The last time we had as low greenhouse gas emissions as in 2023 was in 1970, so they were also lower than in the years of the oil price shocks," reports Karl Steininger from the Wegener Center at the University of Graz. "International climate agreements use the 1990 emissions level as a reference for their targets. Austria is now measurably below this level for the first time in the last 30 years," says the economist.

Influences of the economic activity level and winter temperature
In their analyses, Steininger and his team calculated the influence of various factors. For example, the economy: in 2022, the very strong economic activity level contributed to a 1.6 percent increase in emissions. In contrast, the sharp price increases for energy and the measures taken during the energy crisis led to a reduction of 6.7 percent. The warmer winter compared to the previous year also had a positive effect. It reduced emissions by 0.7 per cent in 2022. In 2023, the weak economy led to a decrease of 0.8 per cent. The winter was only marginally warmer than in 2022.

Reducing emissions through renewable energy
A key contribution to reducing emissions in both years was made by increasing the share of renewable energy. "Our analyses show that the increased prices for fossil fuels are largely responsible for this," says Steininger. However, the effect is delayed. "Almost 60 percent of the increased share of renewables in 2023 can be explained by energy price increases since 2020."
In addition, a whole bundle of measures made a fundamental contribution to reducing emissions: from energy-saving initiatives, building renovation and heating replacement programmes to incentives to use public transport and the promotion of cycling.

Detailed analysis of the development of Austrian greenhouse gas emissions since 2021

Gudrun Pichler

Related news

Jurassic Sounds: Biologist reconstructs insect songs from 165 million years ago

It was apparently not just the roars of the dinosaurs that made up the soundscape of the animal world during the Jurassic period. Crickets and grasshoppers communicated through a variety of songs and high-pitched sounds, as Thorin Jonsson from the Institute of Biology at the University of Graz discovered together with colleagues from the universities of Lincoln, Bristol (UK), Beijing (China) and Tempe (USA). The findings on what are so far the oldest traces of sound on Earth have just been published in the journal PNAS.

EU funding boosts international exchange between universities

The University of Graz is further expanding its international study opportunities through the European university alliance Arqus and is taking the lead in two key projects. In future, students will benefit from even more joint degree programmes and from simplified recognition of academic achievements through the Joint European Degree Label.

Rescue and risks: Researchers have surveyed public perceptions of AI

The use of artificial intelligence has had to be made transparent since 2 August 2026. The EU’s AI Act, which has been in force since then, also sets out how risky an application is and which security measures apply as a result. However, the assessment of risks by the legislation differs in some cases significantly from the perceptions of the Austrian public. This is the finding of a representative study carried out by data scientist Stefan Thalmann from the University of Graz and his team.

The Healing Sea: Researchers discover new approaches to treating chronic inflammation in sponges

Chronic inflammation plays a key role in many diseases, ranging from metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases to tissue damage following injuries or infections. “Normally, the body is able to resolve inflammation on its own. If this process becomes unbalanced, immune cells remain permanently active and continue to drive negative changes in the tissue,” explains Andreas Koeberle, a pharmacist at the University of Graz.