City of Vienna becomes first European capital to sign Greenpeace declaration for phase-out of gas

Vienna – Vienna City Councillor for Climate Affairs, Jürgen Czernohorszky, today became the first representative of a European capital to sign the international Greenpeace Gas-Free City Declaration. With this step, the City of Vienna reaffirms its commitment to phasing out fossil gas in heating supply by 2040 and transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy. In light of the energy crisis, rising costs, and devastating climate damage, this is an important step toward a crisis-resilient and independent energy supply. Greenpeace welcomes Vienna's signing and calls on city governments across Europe to follow this example.

Renewable energies cool homes and stabilize energy prices

"As long as we heat with gas and oil, we remain at the mercy of constantly fluctuating and, above all, rising energy prices due to international saber-rattling and power struggles," warns Climate Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky. Only phasing out gas will protect the wallets of Viennese residents in the long term and guarantee regaining control over energy prices. "Only domestically produced energy guarantees stable prices and a secure supply," says Czernohorszky.

Alexander Egit, Executive Director at Greenpeace Austria: "Fossil fuels fuel the climate crisis and keep us dangerously dependent on autocratic states. Cities play a key role in the energy transition and can now set the course toward a climate-friendly direction. The City of Vienna is now committing to break free from the dangerous gas trap and is showing all of Europe the path to a secure energy future. Now other cities must follow suit courageously."

The climate crisis has massively increased the annual number of hot days and tropical nights, severely impairing quality of life within people's homes. Vienna has already made it easier to install air conditioning in public housing, but further and, in particular, sustainable steps are needed to make residential buildings heat-resilient. "Phasing out gas is also the best approach for this, as modern heat pumps and similar systems can not only heat, but also cool. Gas boilers, on the other hand, can only heat and are therefore not fit for the future for that reason alone," says Czernohorszky. Through its "Raus aus Gas" (Out of Gas) program, Vienna has already taken several steps to reform building heating, and further support is expected from the federal government, partly thanks to the Climate Protection Act.

Almost a quarter of global energy consumption is attributable to fossil gas. It is used for cooking, heating buildings, generating electricity, and in the industrial sector. But the price is high: it causes inequality and conflict, fuels the climate crisis, and threatens health. Renewable energies, on the other hand, make Austria independent and crisis-resilient, and are key to combating greenhouse gases.

With the Greenpeace "Gas-Free Cities Declaration," cities are joining forces to phase out fossil gas step by step. The signing cities commit to firm phase-out targets for fossil energy and a focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency. Among the signing cities is also the Ukrainian city of Chortkiv, showing that even under the most adverse circumstances, the energy transition can be upheld.

Further legislative amendments demanded

Vienna has taken numerous steps toward climate neutrality in recent years, including the Vienna Climate Roadmap, the first Austrian Climate Protection Act, and the Vienna Heating Plan 2040. Vienna remains committed to its goal of climate neutrality by 2040, Czernohorszky emphasizes. The federal Climate Protection Act will provide important support in this regard. At the same time, further legislative steps are required, such as amendments to the Gas Act (Gaswirtschaftsgesetz) as well as tenancy and housing ownership laws. "An important step has been achieved with the federal Climate Protection Act. Now it is crucial to consistently continue along this path," Czernohorszky said.