by Peter Hachenberger and Martin Hoffmann

The follow-up report on the five impulse lectures at the event on November 22, 2023.

In the course of our considerations on the consequences of Earth4All’s statements for Austria, we came together on November 22, 2023, to take a closer look at one of the 5 turns – the energy turn. In this context, the topic of the energy transition seems to be a bit different from the other five turns: Currently, we are already on a very good path because the awareness of the necessity of an energy transition and its connection with the topics of climate change and sustainability has already arrived very strongly in public discourse.

At the same time, however, there is also the difficulty that there are already very many plans, actors, and efforts to advance the energy transition. However, Hannes Swoboda already mentioned in his opening speech on November 22 that we are still on the path of “Too Little Too Late.”

WHAT MUST HAPPEN ON A GLOBAL LEVEL FOR A GIANT LEAP IN THE ENERGY SECTOR?
With this question and its answer in the spirit of Earth4All, Dr. Nathalie Spittler launched the “energy part” of the event. The starting point is the transformation of our inefficient fossil fuel system into a clean and optimized energy system, with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and stopping the loss of biodiversity. Systemically, this also leads to better worldwide availability and affordability of “energy” – Spittler talks about “electrification for all”.

To achieve this, the Earth4All report discusses the known three levers (see graphic), where, in the area of electrification, special applications and necessities are, of course, taken into account.

It is recommended:

  • Immediately abolish subsidies for fossil fuels and transform them into clean and efficient energy solutions.
  • Promote smart electrification while simultaneously optimizing for greater efficiency for multiple gains.
  • Immediately triple investments in renewable energies with storage capacity and infrastructure to over one trillion USD per year.

These points are what we aim to contextualize within an Austrian framework with our project and event. For this reason, we attempted to bring together future visions from various perspectives at our event. In short impulse lectures, the fundamental topics are addressed, and we invite you to view the relevant reports and background papers.

AUSTRIA’S NATIONAL ENERGY AND CLIMATE PLAN 2030 (NECP) – UPDATE 2023/24
Indeed, Austria is well-positioned in many areas or is currently taking important steps. Mag. Christopher Lamport presents the update of the NECP, as an update is planned 5 years after its publication. This update takes into account significant developments through the European legal framework for energy and climate policy Fit for 55, a reassessment of the energy supply due to the Ukraine war, and a reassessment of energy poverty and competitiveness in the current situation.

The government program 2020-2040 has set a goal of achieving climate neutrality by the year 2040. This requires a greater reduction in greenhouse gas emissions than previously planned. Instead of the reduction by 35% by 2030 as envisioned in the scenario With Additional Measures (WAM), a reduction of 48% is necessary. “So, there is still a quite respectable gap of 13% to achieve the goal,” says Lamport.

Adjustments also need to be made in the share of total energy consumption covered by renewable energy and in energy efficiency according to the WAM scenario. Therefore, the update of the NECP includes additional measures in the areas of renewable energy, electricity and gas, energy efficiency, heating and buildings, climate-appropriate mobility, industry, and CO2 pricing.

The new measures show effects in the areas of reducing greenhouse gases, total energy consumption, and the share of renewable energies moving in the right direction, but are still, all things considered, rather Too Little – Too Late.

APCC SPECIAL REPORT: STRUCTURES FOR A CLIMATE-FRIENDLY LIFE
Dr. Ernest Aigner can only support these findings, as he presents the APCC Special Report: Structures for a Climate-Friendly Life and its key findings, noting: “Currently, it is difficult to live a climate-friendly life in Austria. In most areas of life, existing structures promote climate-damaging behavior and make living in a climate-friendly way difficult.”

The Special Report is an assessment report that systematizes the literature and evaluates the statements contained within. It was created in collaboration with 80 authors, 120 reviewers, and 80 stakeholders from the affected areas.

The report deals with the question: “What structures does Austria need to quickly and permanently make a climate-friendly life possible and natural?” Aigner emphasizes the importance of thinking in structures. So, it is not about changing the behavior of individuals within existing structures, but about removing structures that make climate-friendly behavior difficult and creating structures that facilitate and normalize climate-friendly behavior.

This transformation requires “the participation of all societal forces.” However, many actors are not in a position to shape structures. At the same time, those actors who are capable of shaping structures lack the necessary commitment. “Special competencies, resources, and decision-making responsibility for shaping a climate-friendly life lie with public decision-makers, in legislation and government,” says Aigner.

IMPULSES FOR THE ENERGY TRANSITION FROM ENTREPRENEURS
Another significant group of decision-makers and individuals capable of shaping structures are Austrian entrepreneurs. More than 20 companies have already committed to the core points of the position paper on the energy transition – Impulses for the Decarbonization of the Energy System, which Mag.a Christiane Brunner introduced as the third impulse and which was developed by the CEOs for Future.

The companies are aware of the necessity of the energy transition and point out its global-political, social, and economic impacts. Thus, the availability of affordable green electricity is an industrial locational advantage that affects sites and the labor market. Furthermore, stable energy prices are a prerequisite for social justice.

As central cornerstones, in addition to energy saving, energy efficiency, and electrification, Brunner particularly mentions enabling faster expansion speeds and coordinated system planning. The former is made possible, on the one hand, by shortened procedures. On the other hand, decisions on conflicts of objectives at a higher level are needed, as individual case decisions are too cumbersome. Coordinated system planning includes binding energy spatial planning with binding target achievement and area allocation. At the same time, energy system planning must be considered across all sectors, taking into account the entire chain – generation, transport, consumption.

UNINETZ – OPTIONS FOR IMPLEMENTING THE UN AGENDA 2030 IN AUSTRIA
DI Franz Michael Fehr also arrives at this conclusion. In his presentation of the UniNEtZ project, he notes that while there are only 3 options in the options report for SDG 7 “Affordable and Clean Energy,” about 30 options throughout the entire report directly relate to energy. Moreover, there are both synergies and trade-offs among the measures. Thus, the energy topic must be viewed as a complex system interconnected across several SDGs.

The UniNEtZ project aims to anchor the principles of sustainability in university research and teaching, strengthen interdisciplinary and inter-university work on the UN Agenda 2030, and develop recommendations for actions on the SDGs in Austria. About 300 scientists from over 30 scientific disciplines at more than 20 scientific institutions were involved.

In March 2022, the options report, a document with action options and measures for implementing the SDGs in Austria, was submitted to the Austrian government. As a response, the project was extended for 3 years, which now accompanies the scientific implementation of the options.

Fehr emphasizes that the options and measures described have been well-known in the scientific community for a long time, but their implementation by politicians has still not been addressed. Besides lobbying and economic interests, he sees a problem in the approach of political bodies. They do not consult science regarding the most important and urgent measures but rather to have their preconceived decisions confirmed.

FROM THE ‘GREEN DEAL’ IN THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAM TO A NATIONAL ‘CARBON MANAGEMENT STRATEGY’ – NEXT LEVEL: “SETTING THE COURSE CORRECTLY” – 2 NATIONAL GOALS
In the end, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Reinhold Lang addressed a topic in his impulse that is usually less discussed publicly. He deals with the Hard-to-Abate sectors (HTA), i.e., energy-intensive areas where decarbonization is most difficult, although he actually speaks of “defossilization,” meaning the avoidance of fossil-based materials.

For this defossilization, he sets out two national goals: His National Goal 1 calls for a national Carbon Management Strategy by mid-2023 with a focus on HTA industries and HTA transport/traffic, which is cross-sectoral, circular, and transnational. This involves “cycling carbon,” meaning not releasing CO2 into the atmosphere but capturing and reusing it.

National Goal 2 demands that all HTA sectors be made climate-neutral, i.e., fully capable of carbon cycling, by 2050 at the latest. This also includes a completely circular plastic economy. In the case of plastics, the captured carbon is chemically transformed into, for example, methane or methanol with significant energy input and then further processed into plastics.

Lang underscores the importance of his strategy with the results of a report from the Association of the Chemical Industry (in Germany) and the Association of German Engineers. This report concludes that as comprehensive a decarbonization of the economy as possible leads to a shortage of carbon as a raw material for the chemical industry. The alternative of obtaining carbon from biomass is highly controversial and is not expected to be able to compensate for this shortage. Furthermore, carbon cycling is the most cost-effective method in terms of the necessary investments to make the chemical sector climate-neutral.

SYSTEMIC AND HOLISTIC THINKING
From these 5 impulses, we can already take away some information and ideas in the spirit of Earth4All and a Giant Leap scenario. We must and will need to think more systemically and holistically in the future to break existing structures and look beyond the immediate horizon. The topic of circular economy retains its importance and is emphasized again in the sense of a global carbon cycle.

Continuous updates and revisions of our plans and goals are necessary, as in the case of the NECP. The APCC Special Report shows – as detailed as rarely before – that living a climate-friendly life is not an individual task but a collective social challenge and significant structural changes need to be conceived. Because, in particular, the social innovations and the social science perspective on the problems are missing, as Aigner briefly explains in the subsequent discussion.

System dynamic models like those used in Earth4All can certainly contribute to making better conclusions in complex contexts, but in the end, we need to talk to each other and work towards a common vision. The subsequent workshops in our project serve this purpose.

Video Links:

  • 1:00 Dr. Nathalie Spittler, BOKU & Millennium Institute
  • 7:22 Mag. Christopher Lamport, Leiter (interimistisch), Abteilung VI/1, BMK 
  • 20:45 Dr. Ernest Aigner, Leitender Projektkoordinator, WU Wien
  • 32:45 Mag.a Christiane Brunner,  Vorstandsmitglied CEOs FOR FUTURE
  • 42:30 DI Franz Michael Fehr, Ratsvorsitzender UniNEtZ
  • 54:50 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Reinhold Lang, Kunststofftechnik, JKU


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