Just Climate Goals for Municipalities, Cities, and Federal States?

Budget contributions from states and municipalities are also needed for greenhouse gas budgets - and should be distributed fairly

, and Administrator

2025 December 22 . 7:12 AM

2 min read

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Just Climate Goals for Municipalities, Cities, and Federal States?

A new study has revealed that Vienna’s greenhouse gas budget is far larger than what researchers consider fair. The findings, published in Nature Communications, come as cities face growing pressure to align with the Paris Climate Agreement. Many Austrian urban areas, including Vienna, currently exceed their equitable share of emissions under a proposed equity-based model.

The analysis introduces a framework to assess whether cities’ climate targets match their fair portion of the global carbon budget. It also highlights the gap between claimed budgets and what scientists argue is justifiable under stricter equity principles.

Researchers from the University of Graz developed the 'Etopa' method to distribute the remaining global greenhouse gas budget across EU regions. This approach considers economic structures, transition risks, and emissions per million euros of economic output. For example, Vienna’s fair allocation stands at 79 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent, while Upper Austria’s is 314 tonnes. The method aims to prevent disadvantages for industrial regions while ensuring equal opportunities in the shift to climate neutrality.

Cities must now account for two separate budgets: one for territorial emissions and another for consumption-based emissions. Vienna’s fair territorial budget is about one-third smaller than its current claim. Meanwhile, its fair consumption-based budget is only 1.8 times larger than territorial emissions, yet actual consumption-based emissions are 2.8 times higher. The study also notes that a city’s fair territorial budget grows in line with its share of fossil infrastructure and how long that infrastructure remains operational.

The research arrives as the Paris Agreement marks its 10th anniversary, pushing subnational bodies like cities and federal states to take bolder climate action. Worldwide, 293 cities and 202 regions have set net-zero targets, with many Austrian cities targeting 2030 to 2040. The new criteria provide a way for cities such as Vienna and Graz to justify their emissions shares against accusations of greenwashing. Administrations, including Linz, have already acknowledged the model’s transparency and fairness over simpler per-capita approaches.

The study offers a clearer way to measure whether cities’ climate commitments are fair and scientifically sound. Vienna and other Austrian cities now face the challenge of adjusting their emissions budgets to meet stricter equity-based standards. Without changes, their current targets may fall short of what researchers argue is a just contribution to global climate goals.