Helmut Melzer
Corona has clearly shown the environmental impact of air traffic: In the short time without aircraft, greenhouse gas emissions in Austria decreased by more than 500.000 tons, reports the VCÖ. But even after Corona, much will continue as before, has already been determined by the AUA rescue.
Air travel privileges remain
So look Global 2000 While it is positive that some unnecessary short-haul flights will be canceled, 500 million euros in tax privileges for air traffic will remain unchanged. Kerosene and international tickets are not taxed in Austria.
Criticism also comes from "Stay grounded" and "System Change, not Climate Change":" While the AUA location in Vienna is to receive a kind of growth guarantee, the climate measures that have been decided will result in minimal emissions savings. The target of minus 30 percent emissions by 2030 compared to 2005 is also a fraudulent label - after all, the number of passengers and thus the emissions have increased significantly since 2005. "
The ailing aviation industry also has other aspects: “The exploiting airline Ryanair tried to enforce a dumping collective agreement in Austria with - in the worst case - 848 euros net, which is 411 euros below the poverty risk threshold. It threatened to cut 500 jobs in Austria and thus - with the approval of the Chamber of Commerce - increased pressure on the union ”, demands Attac Austria the government and the airport co-owners Vienna and Lower Austria reacted sharply to attempts to extortion. “Politicians have to issue a ban on airlines that want to use the crisis to push wages and prices down even further or pay even less taxes. In addition, the government should campaign for a corresponding EU-wide regulation, ”demands Alexandra Strickner from Attac Austria. "Climate destruction on the backs of employees must not remain a business model."
The government's decisions rather do not reflect the desire of the Austrian population, as one Greenpeace- Survey found: 84 percent of Austrians want green reconstruction after the corona crisis through eco-social stimulus packages. 91 percent are increasingly feeling the climate crisis themselves and the majority are concerned about the effects of global warming on health and the domestic economy. For three quarters of Austrians it is clear that aid packages should primarily go to companies that help reduce CO2 emissions in their area. This shows that Austrians in times of crisis not only demand ecological but also social solutions from the government: the respondents show zero tolerance for companies that receive aid payments from the state and do not adhere to fair working conditions. 90 percent consider this a no-go.
Government satisfaction high but declining
The bill to the government is already underway, a survey of 20.000 people, initiated by #aufstehn, showed: While civil society satisfaction with the government's work at the beginning of the Corona crisis was 85 percent, it dropped to 60 percent in May.
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