A matter of self-interest: climate protection

The Vienna Climate Protection Programme

To be effective, climate protection policies have to be based on a holistic approach. With this principle in mind, the City of Vienna took action as early as 1999 by adopting a long-term policy framework, the Vienna Climate Protection Programme (KliP Wien), which sets out ambitious objectives for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. A small, but efficient KliP Coordination Office was established to ensure that climate protection policies are implemented across all branches of the municipal administration. In December 2009, the City Council voted to extend the Climate Protection Programme until 2020.

By joining the international Climate Alliance in 1991, the City of Vienna committed itself to a sustainable reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, in particular of carbon dioxide.

In 1999, the Vienna City Council adopted a comprehensive Climate Protection Programme (KliP Wien). More than 300 contributors from over 150 departments and organisations involved in the management of the city, including Municipal Departments, subsidiary enterprises and external organisations, participated in the drafting of the programme. KliP Wien listed 341 individual measures, grouped in five policy action fields: "district heating and power generation", "housing", "businesses", "mobility" and "municipal administration". The overall goal was to reduce Vienna's greenhouse gas generation by 2.6 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents per annum. In fact, by May 2008 the reduction achieved through climate protection measures had already reached 3.1 million tonnes p.a. Moreover, KliP policies contributed to securing 56,600 jobs. In December 2009, the Vienna City Council voted to extend the KliP programme until 2020 (KliP II). KliP II has set a new goal of reductions in emissions amounting to another 1.4million tonnes of CO2 equivalents p.a. and comprises 385 individual measures in five policy action fields:

  • Energy generation
  • Energy use
  • Mobility and urban structure
  • Procurement, waste management, agriculture and forestry, conservation of nature
  • Public relations

Successful projects from the previous programme period are being continued under KliP II, and new policy themes taken up. These include remote cooling, solar cooling, a municipal energy efficiency programme and a programme for supply security.

The Coordinating Office
The KliP Coordinating Office was established as the driver and coordinating unit for the implementation of the Climate Protection Programme. Apart from a small core team, it is a "virtual organisation" that relies on a network of experts from the many diverse fields of urban administration and management.

Every year, a four-day workshop is organised for intensive communication among the experts, with a dense working programme of reports and assessments on ongoing projects and future plans. In addition, interim meetings are held to discuss individual projects during the year.

How the KliP Programme works
The KliP Programme is omnipresent - KliP actions are integrated into many of the strategic policies and instruments of the City of Vienna, such as the Transport Master Plan, the Urban Air Initiative (ULI), the Urban Development Plan (STEP) and the Urban Energy Efficiency Programme (SEP). This "mainstreaming" of KliP actions enhances the effectiveness of KliP.

As a result, greenhouse gas emissions were already reduced by more than 3.7 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents by the end of 2009. The most notable successes were achieved in the extension of district heating systems, the increase of power plant efficiency, renewable energy use, thermal insulation of buildings and the extension and improvement of the public transport network.

MD-KLI_01_Climate Protection Programme

Facts & Figures

  • 5 fields of action:
    Energy generation
    Energy use
    Mobility and urban structure
    Procurement, waste management, agriculture and forestry, conservation of nature
    Public relations
  • 37 programmes
  • 385 individual actions/projects
  • Programme period: up to 2020

 

 

Contakt

DI (FH) Volker Schaffler
Tel. +43 1 4000 84269
Fax +43 1 4000 7997
volker.schaffler@tinavienna.at 

 

Links

 

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