21^st Eco-gen Ambassador Program- Theme Report, October 2018

'Policy/policies I would like to establish for my nation'

Being a very open economy that shares borders with eight countries, Austria's environmental diplomacy priorities have long been shaped by strong regional interdependence. The country has also played a proactive role in promoting international cooperation on global issues such as ozone layer protection. Austria has adopted a comprehensive national strategy with respect to climate change, with a challenging target of reducing GHG emissions under the EU burden-sharing agreement.

Austria’s environmental policies have been quite effective in meeting a number of demanding environmental objectives with success in many aspects, as listed below:

- Strict air quality standards

- Quality of receiving waters

- Sewerage connection rate reaching 85% of households

- Reintroduction of Danube salmon to designated river reaches

- High rates of material recycling for several waste streams

- Low levels of energy, material and pollution intensities

This success in meeting demanding environmental objectives, with a strong decoupling of environmental pressures from economic growth, has been achieved through effective environmental policies based on a convergence of public demands; federal and provincial administrative efforts; stringent rules and regulations; and local industry’s commitment to environmental progress. However here are some policies that I feel can be improved further, to benefit the nation's environment.

Polluter Pays Policy

Austria can better implement the ‘polluter pays’ principle, a commonly accepted practice that those who produce pollution should have to bear the costs of managing it to prevent damage to human health or the environment. For instance, a factory that produces a potentially poisonous substance as a by-product of its activities should be held responsible for its safe disposal. In my opinion, strict and widespread enforcement of this principle can contribute to minimmising pollution affecting land, water and air. ‘Polluter pays’ is already enforced in Austria but the policy can be administered more actively and at grass roots levels.

Policies related to taxation of energy and transport

Integrating environmental concerns like transport, energy, agriculture and forestry sectors into economic decisions is another aspect that can be pursued further and ingrained into policies. Austria’s progress with regard to impact of road traffic, especially in urban areas, has been somewhat slow, indicating a need to reinforce demand management measures to influence consumer choices. Taxation related to energy and transport can be increased to achieve a better control.

Policies related to protection of Alpine slopes

Austria is a popular skiing destination. Intense use of the Alpine terrain for skiing, hiking and agricultural purposes impacts the sensitive ecosystems. This is another aspect that I feel Austria needs to consider more seriously in the environmental policy making agenda. Skis damage young trees, while wide-spread hiking and mountain biking, not only cause disturbances of the local fauna, but also damage the soil and vegetation. This is an ever-growing burden on the mountain regions. Agriculture is an even more critical issue as most of Austria′s landscape is shaped by agriculture. Accordingly decreases in the intensity of agricultural use can lead to significant alterations.

In conclusion, I would like to comment that Austrian policies are contributing effectively towards preservation and protection of the environment, as also the country is setting a great example for other nations to follow. However, when it comes to enforcing environmental policies, the decision making has to be flexible and dynamic, so that it adapts to the ever changing scenario, and covers any and every room for improvement.

References

http://www.tourmycountry.com/austria/environment.htm

http://www.oecd.org/environment/country-reviews/19631516.pdf