The economic analysis of sustainable consumption structures concentrates on the extent to which it is possible and recommendable to foster substitution of flows by stocks (improving the thermal quality of buildings, more energy-efficient transport systems). Also of relevance is the role that...

The integrated approach to environmental policy resulting from the sustainable development includes an analysis of the environmental impact that even those policy tools have which are not primarily directed towards environmental protection. These include housing subsidy schemes, to which some...

WIFO introduces a set of key indicators to describe trends and developments in the fields of climate change und the energy sector. These key indicators are designed to provide transparent and easily accessible information to an economically interested public of developments in Austria that are...

Over the past decades, environmental policy discussions tended to focus on the negative impact of production processes on the environment. Sustainable development as a subject and holistic approach became a scientific and political issue only at the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. Since then, consumer...

Participation in climate protection projects within the scope of Joint Implementation (JI) and selection of suitable host countries depend on a number of factors that affect the extent and direction of investments. In their decision-making processes, investors will consider not just the cost of...

Austria has committed itself to reducing its greenhouse gas emission by 13 percent below 1990 levels in order to meet the Kyoto targets. Incentive-based instruments, such as the trade with emission permits, could make a contribution towards achieving the overall goal of protecting the climate....

International commitments constitute a considerable challenge for the climate policy pursued in Austria. In 1997, the first obligatory targets for greenhouse gas emission rates were defined by the Kyoto Protocol, and Austria, within the scope of an internal EU burden sharing agreement, agreed to...