Our greenhouse gas budget will be exhausted in a few years.

In order to limit global warming to +1.5°C, the world community still has a certain greenhouse gas budget that it can emit. If this budget is distributed so that each person can emit the same amount as any other person in the world from 2022 onwards, Austria with its 8.7 million inhabitants still has 280 million tons of CO₂ equivalents available to make its fair contribution to the +1.5°C limit with a 66% probability of success.

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, Austria has been emitting increasing amounts of greenhouse gases through the combustion of coal, oil, and gas. The remaining budget is shown above in the diagram in relation to historical emissions since 1750.

Adhering to the global greenhouse gas budget in line with the Paris Climate Agreement is necessary, as in climate physics, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted determines by how many degrees the temperature will rise. The greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century have led to a global warming of +1.1°C, while Austria as a landmass has already warmed by +2°C.

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