Despite national climate inaction, the capital city is accelerating efforts

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Vienna, Austria's iconic city hall, with its gargoyles and stone towers, is often likened to the magical Hogwarts school by visiting kids, but there's one major difference - solar panels. City Council Member Nina Abrahamczik heads Vienna's climate and environment committee, and she insists this building has something Hogwarts doesn't.

When Vienna made solar panels mandatory for all new buildings and extensions two years ago, they didn't miss out on adding them to the city hall. The panels are strategically placed, invisible from ground level, so as not to disrupt the 19th-century aesthetic while still reducing the city's climate footprint.

Vienna takes its role as a climate leader seriously. Not only are solar panels mandatory, but the city has also set a goal to heat thousands of homes using geothermal energy instead of planet-heating natural gas. Vienna is building massive heat pumps, investing in new infrastructure, adapting to heatwaves, and preparing for floods.

Recently, Vienna passed an historic climate law, outlining a plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2040. The city's initiatives are crucial, not just for Vienna, but also for Austria's climate leadership, as the newly elected federal government prioritizes climate action less. Columbia University climate economist Gernot Wagner, an advisor for Vienna's Mayoral Advisory council, notes that at the federal level, climate is taking a back seat.

Meanwhile, Vienna forges ahead. Its experiences serve as a valuable lesson for cities worldwide, as cities like those in the U.S. can significantly impact climate pollution based on their policies. According to Nathan Hultman, director of the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland, city and state climate policies could reduce U.S. emissions by 54 to 62% below 2005 levels by 2035, even with federal inaction or reversals of climate policy.

Cities driving climate change solutions

At the edge of an old airfield in eastern Vienna, a drilling rig stands tall, with men in hardhats moving metal pipes. These pipes are used for geothermal wells, extending miles underground to extract hot water needed to heat 20,000 Viennese homes by 2028.

Vienna aims to get all buildings completely off gas by 2040 and has already discontinued Russian gas. to achieve this, Vienna plans to heat buildings using heat pumps, capturing gases from waste, burning waste, and geothermal wells.

These geothermal wells are a joint venture between Vienna-based energy company, OMV, and the city's municipal heating and electrical utility, Wien Energie. As a municipal utility, Wien Energie has the advantage of a stable climate strategy aligned with Vienna's. This consistency has allowed the company the flexibility to experiment with new combinations of energy sources.

In addition to cutting emissions, Vienna is finding ways to hold itself accountable for its climate goals. Executive city councilor Jürgen Czernohorszky explains that projects of the city and municipal companies must now detail both the financial costs and the planet-heating emissions costs.

Vienna leading while Austria lags behind

Vienna is pushing through with its climate initiatives at a time when Austria's federal government is moving slower on climate action. The diminished focus on climate change at the federal level is particularly noticeable with the departure of the green party. However, Vienna's resilience as a climate leader provides inspiration and lessons for cities across the globe.

As researchers highlight, city governments hold key tools to help communities adapt to climate change's growing risks. Increased flooding, as a result of climate change, has impacted Vienna, including a 1,000-year flood event in September. To combat this, the city is building "sponge cities", which incorporate green spaces, sand, and ponds into urban design to better manage flooding. Vienna is also focusing on creating more tree cover for shade and expanding district cooling, a climate-friendly alternative to air conditioning, as it prepares for heatwaves.

Despite the challenges posed by the federal government's stance on climate change, Vienna isn't waiting. "We are done waiting," says city council member Nina Abrahamczik. "Waiting for others is something we cannot afford in the time of climate crisis."

Vienna, with its solar panels on the city hall and focus on geothermal energy, takes the lead in implementing climate change solutions, differing from Hogwarts' magical school.
City Council Member Nina Abrahamczik heads Vienna's climate and environment committee and is dedicated to reducing the city's climate footprint through initiatives like mandatory solar panels and a goal to heat homes using geothermal energy.
The city aims to heat 20,000 homes using geothermal energy by 2028 and plans to discontinue Russian gas, positioning itself as a climate leader in Austria and globally.
The city's municipal utility, Wien Energie, is experimenting with new combinations of energy sources like heat pumps, geothermal wells, and waste-based energy, due to the stability of its climate strategy.
Projects in Vienna now need to detail both the financial costs and the planet-heating emissions costs, as the city strives to hold itself accountable for its climate goals.
While Austria's federal government is focusing less on climate action, Vienna continues pushing through with its initiatives, demonstrating resilience and offering valuable lessons for cities worldwide facing the growing risks of climate change, such as increasing flooding and heatwaves.