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CLIMATE CRISIS

Austrians, NGO bring climate suit to Europe rights court

Four Austrians and an NGO have taken the Austrian government to the European rights court for not doing enough to replace fossil fuels with clean energy, the group said Friday.

Austrians, NGO bring climate suit to Europe rights court
Austria is hit by its first heatwave of the year. (Photo by CRISTINA QUICLER / AFP)

The move is part of a growing worldwide trend of organisations and individuals turning to courts to challenge what they see as government inaction on preventing climate change.

The complaint was submitted on behalf of four Austrian citizens who say they have been adversely affected by extreme weather events caused by climate change, and by Austrian NGO Global 2000, its spokesman Johannes Wahlmueller told AFP.

The lives of organic farmer Monika Jasansky, retiree Peter Fliegenschnee, Mayor Friedrich Pichler, and activist Klara Butz, have all been impacted by either drought, heatwaves or mudslides, said Wahlmueller.

The complaint was filed earlier this week at the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), said Wahlmueller. Contacted by AFP, the ECHR said it hadn’t yet received the complaint. The suit was originally filed with Austria’s administrative court in 2021, but was rejected. In late June, Austria’s constitutional court also rejected the lawsuit, ruling that the government has leeway to decide on what measures it takes to achieve climate goals, as long as they are sufficient.

But according to the plaintiffs, the measures taken by the Austrian government will “miss the targets”, thus failing to protect its citizens. They call on the government to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy by 2040 at the latest. Earlier this year, an Austrian court rejected a lawsuit brought by 12 minors who accused the government of failing to revise a climate protection law, which they said insufficiently protects their constitutional rights.

Other lawsuits, including by six Portuguese citizens accusing dozens of European countries of having failed their commitments in the fight against climate change, have already been filed at the ECHR.

READ ALSO: Electrical storms end heatwave as Austria set for one of warmest years on record

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CLIMATE CRISIS

How Austria plans to protect the public during heatwaves this summer

With the first heatwave of the year set to hit Austria, the government has presented its "National Heat Protection Plan". But what does it involve?

How Austria plans to protect the public during heatwaves this summer

Just as people in Austria start bracing for the first heat wave of the year, with temperatures expected to reach 35C on Friday, the government has presented its “National Heat Protection Plan“.  

The plan aims to raise awareness about the impact of extreme heat on individuals and systems while guiding state authorities and healthcare facilities to better prepare for and respond to heat events, according to a presentation by Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens).

According to Rauch, Europe is warming up faster than other continents due to the impact of the human-caused climate crisis. 

The minister said in a press conference that heat is already a burden for healthy people. However, it can become a real danger, especially for vulnerable groups such as babies, small children, the elderly, and sick people. Awareness of this should be raised. 

READ ALSO: How to stay cool in Austria as the heatwave hits

The revised heat protection plan aims to raise awareness and make the healthcare system more resilient to future heat events. The plan sets out steps to be taken at the federal level in cooperation with the federal states and GeoSphere Austria, the country’s meteorological institute, in the event of extremely high temperatures.

What are the federal recommendations?

The plan recommends measures to the federal states and social and health institutions depending on the warning level and shows examples of best practices, such as setting up a network of “heat buddies.”

For example, people who live in retirement homes and care facilities or are cared for by mobile services should be better looked after. 

“Heat protection requires more than just structural and technical measures. It is also a social task. It requires a joint effort. It is crucial to sensitise those responsible so that they can prepare measures for their institutions. That is the goal and the great benefit of this National Heat Protection Plan,” said Andrea Schmidt, Head of the Climate and Health Competence Centre at Gesundheit Österreich.

Exchange with state, social, and healthcare facilities will also be intensified. An information and training programme for the facilities’ health officers and an annual congress are planned. The plan also calls for heat to be given more significant consideration in urban development and spatial planning.

“We must use every opportunity to inform the population about correct behaviour and provide good care for people at increased risk during heatwaves,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch.

READ ALSO: How is Vienna planning to deal with heatwaves?

The minister said short-, medium—and long-term measures are needed to protect particularly vulnerable groups from heat stress. These include structural measures in public spaces, such as shading and installing drinking water dispensers. 

In the short term, local initiatives such as Caritas climate oases, Red Cross cooling centres, and other neighbourhood support measures can improve the situation of older or sick people. 

Responsibilities for the states

The federal states are responsible for implementing measures, each of which has its own heat protection plans that consider regional characteristics. The federal government coordinates the exchange between the states and experts. It is responsible for measures in the event of extreme heat from a perceived temperature of 40C and in the event of long-lasting, intense heatwaves, the national plan shows.

READ ALSO: Austrian heatwave: Six tips to get a better night’s sleep

The main aim is to convene the state crisis and disaster management team to coordinate the emergency measures of all parties involved (such as emergency organisations and federal, state, and local authorities). According to Rauch, the Ministry of Health also wants to intensify the provision of information to the population and place adverts on correct behaviour during heatwaves.

“Heat is also a social issue if people cannot afford air conditioning or a visit to the swimming pool”, said Rauch. He added: “We therefore also want to help create more places that offer free cooling, such as the 27 “Climate Oases” in Vienna and Lower Austria and the Red Cross “Cooling Centres.”

Monitoring is also essential, as the press conference emphasised. Heat-related mortality is difficult to record, as heat rarely causes direct deaths but affects pre-existing conditions.

The AGES heat mortality monitoring programme calculates the correlation between temperatures and excess mortality. The analyses showed that in recent years, there has been a significant excess mortality of up to 500 people per year. Hospitalisations also increased by up to a quarter in extremely hot summers.

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