Scientists for Future Austria
Scientists for Future: The Lobau Tunnel project is incompatible with Austria's climate goals. It would generate more traffic instead of relieving roads, it would increase climate-damaging emissions, endanger agriculture and water supplies and threaten the ecological balance of the Lobau National Park.
The overall project Lobau-Autobahn, Stadtstraße and S1-Spange is not compatible with the climate goals of Austria according to the current state of science. 12 scientists from Scientists for Future (S4F) Austria have examined the critical arguments that are being publicly discussed and support the civil society criticism in their statement of August 5, 2021. The experts from the fields of transport, urban planning, hydrology, Geology, ecology and energy come to the conclusion that the Lobau construction project is ecologically unsustainable and that there are far better alternatives to calm traffic and reduce emissions.
The independent scientists from S4F refer to the current state of research, substantiate the criticisms of the Lobau Tunnel project in their statement and point out alternatives. The project would - since an additional offer induces additional traffic - lead to more car traffic instead of relieving roads, and thus lead to an increase in climate-damaging CO2 emissions. The area to be built on is under nature protection. The construction of the Lobau tunnel and the city street could lower the water table in this area. This would not only destroy the habitat of protected animal species there, but could also destabilize the entire ecosystem. Such an impairment would have a detrimental effect on the water supply for the surrounding agriculture and the Viennese population.
With regard to Austria's declared goal of “climate neutrality 2040”, a different approach should be taken. Sustainable measures can already be taken now to reduce emissions and car traffic overall. With an expansion of local public transport and an expansion of parking space management, on the one hand, emissions can be saved and, on the other hand, traffic can be reduced more effectively - also on other busy roads and without the Lobau motorway. As emissions from the transport sector have risen steadily in recent years, further road construction is not appropriate. From 1990 to 2019, the share of Austria's total greenhouse gas emissions increased from 18% to 30%. In Vienna this proportion is even 42%. In order to achieve a climate-neutral Austria by 2040, real alternatives to individual transport are needed. Purely technological measures, such as switching to e-cars with the same traffic volume, are not enough.
The detailed official statement from Scientists for Future Austria - an association of over 1.500 scientists for a science-based climate policy - is available at
The following were involved in checking the facts and preparing the statement: Barbara Laa (TU Vienna), Ulrich Leth (TU Vienna), Martin Kralik (University of Vienna), Fabian Schipfer (TU Vienna), Manuela Winkler (BOKU Vienna), Mariette Vreugdenhil ( TU Vienna), Martin Hasenhündl (TU Vienna), Maximilian Jäger, Johannes Müller, Josef Lueger (InGEO Institute for Engineering Geology), Markus Palzer-Khomenko, Nicolas Roux (BOKU Vienna).
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