The STANDARD has obtained the draft climate law. The targets for individual sectors remain legally non-binding. Heated debates are on the cards. 

When Environment Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) announced in mid-July that a draft climate law was ready, it sounded like a success. He proudly declared that the future legislation would cover not only climate protection but also the major themes of climate change adaptation and the circular economy. But what does it actually deliver for climate protection? The STANDARD has obtained Totschnig's draft dated 27 June. The project itself has a long history. 

The old Climate Protection Act mapped out Austria's climate policy path up to the 2020 climate target, after which it lost its effectiveness. For five years, the Greens and the ÖVP struggled to agree on a successor. In 2021, a draft from the then Greens-led Climate Protection Ministry was leaked to the media. The Chamber of Commerce and the People's Party vigorously opposed it. Turquoise-Green failed to reach a compromise before the coalition ended…

Read the exclusive report by Benedikt Narodoslawsky at: derstandard.at