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The application for a climate protection ordinance to phase out fossil fuels was rejected by the Ministry of Economics, now the legal process follows
Vienna (OTS) – In order for fossil fuels to have a specific expiry date, lawyer Dr. Reinhard Schanda – on behalf of the Austrian environmental protection organization GLOBAL 2000 and those affected by the climate crisis – submitted an application to the Ministry of Economic Affairs in May. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is responsible for the trade regulations. If there is a risk to the environment or health, the Ministry of Economic Affairs can intervene. In the case of the danger posed by fossil fuels, it does not want to do so now, the application was rejected by the Ministry of Economic Affairs. GLOBAL 2000 is now preparing with Dr. Reinhard Schanda is taking legal action and now wants to enforce the right to clean energy in court.
“We are going to court for climate protection, so for all of us, because we have little time left. Only recently, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued an urgent warning to all of us: If we don’t act quickly, extreme events will increase, heat and water Drought periods become more severe and we risk catastrophic damage to the climate. Fossil energy threatens our environment and our health. We therefore do not accept that Economics Minister Margarete Schramböck does not want to intervene. We will now work to enforce our right to clean energy in court, “said Johannes Wahlmüller , Climate and energy spokesman for GLOBAL 2000.
A regulation was applied for which would gradually end the sale of coal, heating oil, gasoline and diesel by 2040. In this way, legal certainty can be created to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2040. In the decision, however, the Federal Minister for Digitization and Business Location states that she does not want to issue this ordinance. The reason given is that the federal government has no authority to issue the requested measures.
“It goes without saying that the federal government has the authority to adopt measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions in order to ward off the climate crisis. This is shown, for example, by the Climate Protection Act (federal law on compliance with maximum levels of greenhouse gas emissions and the development of effective measures for climate protection). This federal competence also includes the competence to issue the measures applied for here ”, said lawyer Dr. Disgrace. “We now have four weeks to lodge a complaint against this decision with the Vienna Administrative Court, which is responsible for the decision on our application in the next instance.”
Together with the environmental protection organization GLOBAL 2000, four people from Austria affected by the climate crisis submitted the application: Peter Fliegenschnee (pensioner), Klara Butz (activist of Fridays for Future), the community of Stanz im Mürz Valley and Monika Jasansky (organic farmer from Lower Austria).
Further background information can be found here:
https://www.global2000.at/dein-gutes-recht
Inquiries & contact:
Viktoria Auer, press spokeswoman GLOBAL 2000, viktoria.auer@global2000.at, 0699 14 2000 82
Johannes Wahlmüller, Climate and Energy Spokesman GLOBAL 2000, johannes.wahlmüller@global2000.at, 0699 14 2000 41
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