Resource Efficiency Contributions to Decarbonisation

Austria was successful in the Implementation of the Energy Strategy and the achievement of the targets formulated therein. Concerning resource efficiency and climate change, Austria is still far from reaching the policy targets formulated in the national Resource Efficiency Action Plan and the international conventions on climate change. International reports and policy programmes emphasize the potential contribution of resource efficiency to climate change policies and to the Paris agreements (2015). However, few studies are available that investigate the links between resource efficiency and climate protection and in particular the contribution of raw materials and basic commodities towards reducing GHG emissions. For Austria, not one study is available.GHG emissions occur at every step along the production process and thus along the material lifecycle: from raw material extraction to processing, final consumption and waste disposal. Austrian environmental reporting as well as academic research provide data on GHG emissions and energy and material use on the national level as well as along economic activities. A comparative analysis of national trends and sectoral environmental indicators is still to be done. This would be an essential first step towards identifying options and trade-offs between resource efficiency and climate change policies and to implement results in policy programmes.Project goals:Comparative synopsis of relevant policy programmes, assessment reports, and academic publications on the links between climate protection and resource efficiency.Presentation and evaluation of available physical data on climate change and resource efficiency.Prioritization of economic sectors and raw material concerning their contribution to climate change and resource efficiency.Identification of knowledge gaps.Commentary on the MonMech model.