Greens accuse government of failing on heat protection

The Greens leader personally attacked Environment Minister Norbert Totschnig (ÖVP) for "his inaction." She accused him of not acting sufficiently in the current situation to protect the population from the consequences of extreme heat. Transport Minister Peter Hanke (SPÖ) also came into the Greens' crosshairs because he is sticking with the Lobau autobahn as a Viennese prestige project.

Social inequality in the heat

At the same time, Gewessler made clear that the impacts of the heatwave are distributed unequally across society. "Wer sich kein Haus am See leisten kann, zahlt drauf," she said. People with low incomes are significantly more affected by the extreme heat than others. The Greens formulate this in their campaign with the slogan: "Hitze trifft nicht alle gleich."

The party is therefore demanding concrete measures: schools, retirement homes and other public facilities should be "equipped with cooling as quickly as possible." The Greens are also calling for more heat protection rooms, better greening of cities, and better working conditions in the heat.

Three concrete demands

The parliamentary group leader issued a clear warning: "Wenn die ÖVP, SPÖ und NEOS nichts tun, erleben wir derzeit den kühlsten Sommer unseres restlichen Lebens." The current summer is a warning that the situation will worsen further without decisive action. She pointed to the World Climate Council's finding that the next phase of global warming is imminent.

Gewessler formulated three core demands on the government: air conditioning, shading, and greening. "Das schafft Abhilfe," she said – but this requires a "Regierungs-Plan." The Greens are calling for a coordinated approach that combines short-term cooling with long-term climate policy.

Criticism of the Lobau autobahn

The parliamentary group leader sharply attacked the Viennese major project Lobau autobahn when it came to the transport minister. She described it as an "Autobahn-Prestige-Projekt der Wiener SPÖ" and accused Hanke of sending the wrong signals in climate policy by clinging to this road. The expansion of additional infrastructure for motorized individual transport contradicts the requirements of climate protection.

The Greens emphasize that the consequences of climate change are already visible now in the current heatwave, not just in the future. Residents of densely built urban areas are particularly affected, as asphalt and concrete heat up strongly in the neighborhoods. Heat protection is therefore not just a question of comfort, but of health protection.

Already affected today

The Greens are specifically demanding the expansion of public cooling rooms, the greening of courtyards, roofs and facades, as well as clear rules for employers regarding heat exposure outdoors. The party argues that many of these measures could be implemented quickly if the political will existed.

"Wir arbeiten hart, damit wir den Kampf gegen die Klimakrise noch gewinnen," said Gewessler. The coming weeks and the upcoming summer show how urgently decisive action is needed. The Greens intend to keep the issue on the agenda in the upcoming parliamentary debates.

The attack on the turquoise-red-pink coalition came just as weather services are forecasting further heat records for Austria. After the record temperatures already recorded, meteorologists expect the extreme weather to continue, which is likely to increase the pressure on the government further.

Pressure from weather forecasts

The Greens also accuse the government of exacerbating inequality in heat protection: those who can afford it buy private air conditioning units, while poorer households are left behind in overheated apartments. The party is therefore calling for a national heat protection plan with clearly defined responsibilities and funding.

In conclusion, Gewessler called on the federal government to act: "Selten war so klar wie jetzt: Klimaschutz ist Menschenschutz." Without immediate investments in cooling, shading and greening, the warning goes, the situation for the population will worsen further in the coming summers.