Around a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the transport sector – quite a lot! To meet climate targets, major changes to the mobility system are therefore needed.
Electric cars or alternative fuels can help along the way, but they alone won't solve the problem. What's most important is to deliberately focus on climate-friendly alternatives in mobility. For that, we need a well-developed and affordable public transport system, as well as suitable infrastructure for cycling, walking, and car sharing.
Another major lever is the elimination of climate-damaging subsidies. These include, for example, the jet fuel tax exemption. Under this regulation, airlines currently don't have to pay any mineral oil tax on kerosene. As a result, Austria missed out on around 570 million euros in revenue in 2024. That money could have funded, for instance, half a million climate tickets or 26 complete Railjet train sets.
Measures to decarbonise the transport sector don't just cut emissions – they also bring many other benefits for all of us: cleaner air, less noise, more space in public areas, and more liveable towns and cities.
Detailed information can be found in the sources listed below.
