Linz’s city policy wants to be “climate neutral” by 2040:
The desire of Linz city politics to achieve ‘climate neutrality’ as soon as possible is paid primarily by the ‘small’ people and low-income earners.”
LAbg. Joachim Aigner, MFG-Austria federal party chairman
The state capital Linz has presented a “city-wide climate neutrality concept”. Goal: climate neutrality by 2040. “You should also recognize them by their actions,” says MFG Linz district spokeswoman Petra Lindner, referring to the ruling parties in Linz: “The ground is being sealed and built no matter what, at the same time it is flying Mayor with a huge entourage including his wives to New York to advertise the Bruckner Year, which is absolutely not his job. The many alibi actions like a few potted trees on the main square don’t make things any better.” Unfortunately, Linz’s “climate neutrality concept” isn’t much more than greenwashing in the worst sense, adds LAbg. Joachim Aigner, MFG-Austria federal party chairman: “It’s even more hot Air – that’s what Linz needed.”
„The city of Linz has set itself the goal of being climate neutral by 2040 at the latest. This goes hand in hand with a historical transformation into a climate-neutral industrial city,” says the opening statement from the city of Linz. What follows is a ten-page pamphlet full of phrases and vague statements with lots of anglicisms and technical terms to give the whole thing the appearance of appropriate seriousness.
Linz “eats” its green spaces and talks about climate protection
“The climate cannot be influenced, the manageably large Linz and its politicians should finally understand that. The alleged ‘climate protection’ often destroys more than it aims to save, for example when green areas are sealed to build PV systems or wind turbines,” says Joachim Aigner. And he also has a current example of how serious Linz is about climate and environmental protection: “Specifically, it’s about the completely crazy SPÖ plan to transform 13 hectares of green space directly near the Traunauen in the south of Linz into a photovoltaic field , while at the same time enormous amounts of already built-up area – such as hall and stadium roofs or the several hectare enclosure of the A7 Bindermichl/Niedernhart – are not used for solar modules. Who is supposed to understand that? “Thank God the Linz local council pulled the emergency brake again in this specific case and did not approve the rezoning necessary for the project.”
“Linz’s city politics’ desire for ‘climate neutrality’ as soon as possible is paid primarily by the ‘small’ people and low-income earners.”
Further rezoning requests from city politicians also go in the same direction: north of Kepler University – in the area of the so-called “Linz green belt” – a further 100,000 square meters of grassland are to be repurposed, after several hectares of agricultural land right next to it currently have to give way to the questionable Auhof motorway connection. In return, Linz does not get such little things as the greening of the facade of the New Town Hall, which has been promised for four years. Petra Lindner: “Apart from a few bonsai plants, nothing grows there.”
The Big Lie of “Green Steel”
Above all, voestalpine should contribute to the decarbonization of the central area through the production of so-called “green steel”. This should be made possible through the use of electric arc furnaces, which replace conventional LD blast furnaces. Steel is only “green” if the electricity used comes from alternative energy sources. However, it will simply be impossible to generate the required amount of “green” electricity for decades to come. To achieve this, for example, 3,000 additional wind turbines would be needed – there are currently only just under 1,400 in the entire country. Fluctuating wind energy is unsuitable for steel production anyway, because it requires continuous and reliable energy – if desired at all. The additional electricity required for this comes from gas/coal power plants or from foreign nuclear reactors. “’Green’ according to the definition of the climate sect is nothing, unfortunately that is also part of the truth. The CO2 is no longer produced in Linz, but beyond the city limits,” says Joachim Aigner.
Particularly perfidious: Linz Mayor Klaus Luger says in the press release about the climate concept that it must go “hand in hand with social justice”. Petra Lindner: “How much ‘social’ is there in a mayor like that? What Luger forgets: It is primarily the low earners who feel the impact of the annually rising compulsory CO2 taxes and the skyrocketing energy costs the most.”
District heating: There’s nothing social about it
The MFG is also ambivalent about the massive further, climate protection-related expansion of district heating in Linz: “It is practically impossible for all of the current 88,000 households, as well as future households, that receive district heating in Linz to change providers; the people of Linz have to buy each from the monopolist LINZ AG swallow the specified price increase – or freeze. It was not until March 2024 that there was another price increase of eight percent, after there had already been a 15.5 percent increase in 2022 and an 8 percent increase in 2023. All three price increases added together result in an additional annual cost of over 420 euros for a 95 square meter family apartment – just for heating, mind you. And: “Climate-neutral” means little to nothing when it comes to district heating anyway, because 56 percent of the energy for LINZA AG district heating comes from burning fossil gas.
Stop car-bashing
Linz also wants to reduce the share of cars in traffic to 23 percent, although the latest generation of cars are now extremely clean and low-emission. Joachim Aigner: “Nobody drives a car for fun – especially not families. The way Linz’s transport policy has been perceived in recent years, one has to expect further atrocities against drivers, which in the end will once again affect low-income earners and families because they can hardly afford high fuel costs, rising taxes and parking fees.” MFG is therefore once again calling for an end to the constant bashing of drivers.
Physics remains physics
Finally, the MFG calls for people to move away from the false path of “climate neutrality by 2040”: “The climate will do what the climate will do. Climate concepts, SPÖ, ÖVP or Greens in Linz, Austria, in the EU or anywhere else in the world will not change this. Real physics just doesn’t play along with the weird political narratives.”
“Climate-neutral” city partnerships
The craziest thing among the many points and “fields of action” listed in the Linz climate concept: Linz wants to conclude “city partnerships for climate neutrality” in the future. Will there again be huge city delegations including wives (like recently to New York) to fill these “partnerships” with as much life and CO2 as possible?
Questions & Contact:
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