Austrian Environment

Austria is a country with many of the same problems with environmental issues as America and other more developed countries. There are many acts and ordinances in place to protect the environment such as a toxic waste law: a law that was enacted in 1984 and established a series of strict standards for the collection, transport and disposal of dangerous substances. The Austrian government has also reduced sulphur dioxide emissions by 2/3 by placing regulations on gas emissions. In the early 1990s Austria was emitting 56.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, placing them in the top 50 countries; in 1996, that number rose to 59.3 million metric tons.

Austria is also battling an ongoing fight with acid rain, which has damaged 25% of the country's forests. Due to the pollution of the forests by acid rain, many species, including the damselfly, the large blue butterfly and the European mink, have become endangered; 7 out of 83 species of mammals the country houses are threatened; 5 out of 213 bird species are endangered. Today, even the crops cannot provide a sustainable benefit and many farms survive only through financial subsidies by Austria or the European Union.

Do you think that Austria's government is doing enough, by passing laws and laying down regulations, to save their environment from further destruction?