Greenpeace: Catastrophic result for FPÖ and ÖVP in the eco-party check – GRAPHIC

In the course of a new one Party checks The environmental protection organization Greenpeace gives the ÖVP and FPÖ a damning report: The election programs of the two parties do not contain sufficient solutions for the climate crisis, no plans for a consistent restoration of nature or binding goals against soil sealing. Instead, the measures proposed by the ÖVP and FPÖ are exacerbating the climate crisis. The Greens, SPÖ, NEOS, KPÖ and the BIER party focus on ecological measures in their programs, with the Greens performing best in the environmental policy party comparison.

Jasmin Duregger, climate and energy expert at Greenpeace: “The floods of the last few days are the result of decades of government failure. Infiltration areas were destroyed and sealed, and climate protection was only half-heartedly pursued. Austria’s new federal government must prioritize climate and environmental protection. In contrast, the FPÖ and ÖVP are relying on an extensive environmental blockade. This is once again proof that the ÖVP has long since said goodbye to its eco-social roots.”

The party check is carried out using 15 demandswhich the environmental protection organization sent to the parties in advance, asking for comments. These include central environmental issues such as soil protection, climate protection and nature conservation. The analysis is carried out on the basis of the election program and the statements of the parties. When it came to the transport transition, for example, all parties spoke out in favor of expanding public transport, but at the same time the FPÖ and ÖVP parties were committed to the climate-damaging combustion engine. What deserves praise, however, is the Greens’ extensive catalog of ideas for climate-friendly mobility, the NEOS’s consistent stand against climate-damaging subsidies and the SPÖ’s requested ban on private jets. BIER relies on solutions for the last mile, while the KPÖ insists on the affordability of public transport. “Traffic is the biggest construction site in Austrian climate policy. With their stubborn adherence to the combustion engine, the ÖVP and FPÖ are clearly maneuvering themselves out of the picture on climate issues.”so Duregger.

When it comes to soil protection, the parties’ ambitions differ considerably: the ÖVP, for example, which sometimes even wants to promote new construction by eliminating taxes and ancillary fees, and the FPÖ, which rejects a levy on speculatively vacant living space as a “hidden wealth tax”, are negatively noticeable. The BIER party and NEOS also offer few measures to curb the rampant development of our natural and agricultural areas. On the other hand, the SPÖ and KPÖ are more ambitious, with their election programs sometimes relying on the mobilization of vacant living space and land recycling. However, only the Greens meet all Greenpeace demands for effective soil protection.

In the summer, Greenpeace submitted 15 environmental and climate protection demands to the Austrian parties. In the analysis published today, Greenpeace compares the demands with the parties’ statements in the election manifestos and with the parties’ written feedback and evaluates these using a points system.