Policies to accelerate fuel, technology & behavioural change in transport – results & successes of the Austrian klima:aktiv mobil programme after the first 6 years

Panel: 4. Transport and mobility: How to deliver energy efficiency

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Author:
Willy Raimund, Austrian Energy Agency, Austria

Abstract

There are plenty of strategies on all administrative levels to reduce carbon emissions and boost energy efficiency in transport. But it usually takes a long time to adapt national legislation to these strategies with considerable loss of valuable time. Furthermore some of the defined measures will never find the necessary “political will” for implementation.

To bridge this gap Austria’s Environmental ministry supported by the Austrian Energy Agency, got into action 2005 and set up an action programme, condensing all so called “soft” and “voluntary” measures in transport (“mobility management”), that do not necessarily need to wait for legislation or specific administrative framework conditions.

In its comprehensive approach – not only transport, but also buildings, renewables and energy saving- and also in its effects regarding the reduction of GHG emissions, klima:aktiv and especially klima:aktiv mobil seems to be one-of-a-kind in Europe.

klima:aktiv mobil set up

• free-of-charge consulting programmes addressing specific target groups (companies, cites & municipalities, real estate developers, schools & youth, tourism)

• a financial support programme with 33 Mio € since 2007 for mobility management measures, fleet conversions to low-carbon technologies, work travel plans etc.

• an EcoDriving training programme with up to now 17,000 trainees and educating all novice drivers in Austria in a smart driving style

• a broad awareness raising campaign

• about 800 klima:aktiv partners among the target groups implementing sustainable transport measures and therewith reduces more than 350,000 tons of CO2 emissions every year, created or saved 2300 “green jobs” in transport and induced “green” investments by companies and administrations 6 to 10 times higher as the funding.

klima:aktiv mobil is one of the main drivers in Austria to accelerate fuel, technology & behavioural change in transport and shows a cost/benefit ratio much better than most infrastructure investments.