Vienna Greens Present Heat Protection Plan and Demand More Measures for Schools and Hospitals

Demands for Schools, Hospitals, and Care Homes

Specifically, the Greens demand that functioning exterior blinds, more greening on schoolyards and buildings, as well as thermal renovations and climate-fit new builds be implemented quickly in schools and kindergartens. In hospitals and care homes, too, heat protection measures should take effect quickly, in addition to schools and kindergartens, in the party's view.

Pühringer also criticized bureaucratic hurdles that blocked simple solutions. She pointed to consistent nighttime cross-ventilation as well as the acceptance of donated fans, which are often not possible at schools: "Dass eine einfache Lösung wie das konsequent nächtliche Querlüften oder die Annahme von gespendeten Ventilatoren in Schulen wegen bürokratischer Hürden nicht möglich ist, kann niemand in der Stadt verstehen."

Criticism of the City Government

Peter Kraus accused the city government of lacking courage and called for a bold move: "Die aktuelle Hitzewelle zeigt, dass die Wienerinnen und Wiener nicht länger warten können. Wien braucht endlich einen mutigen Plan gegen die Hitze. Die rot-pinke Stadtregierung setzt lediglich auf einzelne Maßnahmen, der großer Wurf fehlt." The Greens also want funds for additional shade trees from compensation payments for tree removals to be used directly in the districts for climate change adaptation.

Another focus is nature conservation: the Greens are calling for rapid measures to stabilize the water balance in the Lobau nature reserve. Their plan also envisions the protection of important fresh-air corridors and the consistent use of air-conditioned vehicles by Wiener Linien. Where technically possible, building component activation should be used for energy-efficient cooling.

Lobau, Fresh Air, and Air-Conditioned Public Transport

In terms of content, the Greens demand that district cooling become a mandatory standard for every new build and for comprehensive building renovations, and that financial support for exterior blinds be significantly increased. The acceptance of donated fans must also be made possible without complications in order to relieve heat-plagued classrooms in the short term.

Pühringer pointed out that the consequences of heat in Vienna are unequally distributed: "Die Menschen in Wien sind nicht alle gleich von der Hitze betroffen" – particularly low-income people, children, young people, as well as the sick and the elderly often have no way to escape the heat. Environmental City Councillor Jürgen Czernohorszky (SPÖ) had previously stated: "Hitze kann zur echten Gefahr für manche Menschen werden, speziell wenn es über einen längeren Zeitraum zu heiß ist, deshalb braucht es für alle Menschen Möglichkeiten, sich abkühlen zu können."

Existing City Measures

According to its own statements, the City of Vienna has already initiated a series of measures. For example, the "Raus aus dem Asphalt" (Get Off the Asphalt) program is running in all 23 districts, within which "allein im Straßenraum und auf Plätzen rund 3.300 Bäume gepflanzt und zigtausende Quadratmeter entsiegelt" were carried out. A total of "in den letzten Jahren bereits mehr als 340 Projekte in ganz Wien umgesetzt" have been completed, Czernohorszky explained.

In addition, Vienna operates 34 so-called "Cool Zones" – freely accessible, supervised spaces where people can cool down without any obligation to consume – as well as 1,800 public drinking fountains with fresh Alpine spring water, according to the city. This puts the number of fountains above that of all of Germany. All 38 Vienna public pools have also been open since May 2. Planning City Councillor Ulli Sima (SPÖ) is responsible for unsealing and greening the city.