Lessons from Austria (no nuclear power and organic food!)

Amber Davenport

Austria (which looks similar to Switzerland) is believed by many people, to be the most beautiful country on earth. This alpine paradise is home to beautiful lakes, Europe’s tallest waterfall, the largest ice cave on earth, and mountain trains.

Yet despite being a mostly urban country (a good portion of people live in the capital city of Vienna, it’s also got some of the toughest laws on protecting the planet in the world.

Austria Has No Nuclear Power

With our government banging on about how we need nuclear power, Austria (like New Zealand) is 100% nuclear-free, and has no intention of building any nuclear power stations, due to safety concerns.

Like Iceland, nearly all its energy is from renewable resources already, and it expressed concern over a planned nuclear plant in neighbouring Slovakia. Learn more on why we don’t need nuclear power.

One Third of Austria is Protected Woodlands

Unlike here, Austria protects its native forests, with the country’s (Green) Climate Minister recently ‘tipping the scales’ for the EU Nature Restoration Law to pass. This means that EU member countries must restore drained peatlands, and plant 3 billion more trees.

In England, we have lost nearly all our woodlands (a few years back during David Cameron’s government, only a petition by 38 Degrees stopped our remaining forests being sold off to private investors who ‘promised’ to protect them).

Yeah, right. Thankfully the law did not pass, and the government later admitted it had made a mistake.

Organic Laws Are Very Strict

In England, we have our Soil Association. It’s strict, but due to the long time and money needed to certify, many small farms can’t afford to get on board.

In Austria, nearly everyone eats organic food, as there are subsidies to encourage making foods free from pesticides and chemicals.

Remember that chemicals on food are made from oil. So this is another reason why Austria is greener. Because a country of walkable communities (less cars, less oil) and organic food (less oil) means that it has achieved its aim of making green energy affordable (with no nuclear) as less oil is needed.

This is the answer – not plastering wind turbines everywhere, as that’s just ‘replacing one energy with another’. Instead, a mind-change in lifestyles is needed. This is what has happened here in Austria.