Climate lawsuit against Totschnig: It's now about water

Environmental groups Ökobüro and Claw Initiative have initiated legal action against Austria's Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler, demanding enhanced protection for the country's groundwater. The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, seeks to compel the Climate Ministry to amend existing regulations or enact new ones to ensure the "quantitative and qualitative protection of groundwater" and prevent its further deterioration.

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We are repeatedly confronted with droughts, currently even with an unprecedented one. This leads to dramatic situations that are increasingly escalating, but the response is not adequate.

This legal challenge comes amid increasingly severe drought periods and a significant drop in groundwater levels across Austria. Over the past 15 years, average groundwater levels have fallen by 30 to 50 centimeters. Climate Minister Gewessler herself acknowledged the severity, describing the start of the year as the "driest since measurements began." Despite these warnings, the minister recently stated that Austria is in a favorable position and does not anticipate water shortages.

Environmental lawyer Michaela Krömer, representing the organizations, argues that the recurring droughts and declining groundwater levels, exacerbated by climate change, represent the "new normal" rather than exceptional circumstances. "We are repeatedly confronted with droughts, currently even with an unprecedented one. This leads to dramatic situations that are increasingly escalating, but the response is not adequate," Krömer told "Die Presse."

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quantitative and qualitative protection of groundwater and avoidance of a deterioration of the groundwater status

The lawsuit asserts that current political responses are insufficient. Under the Aarhus Convention, environmental organizations have the right to judicial review of administrative regulations. The groups contend that all "practicable precautions" must be taken to prevent further degradation of groundwater resources, as mandated by the Water Rights Act and the EU Water Framework Directive, unless specific exceptions like unforeseeable accidents or extreme weather events apply.

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that the consequences of the climate crisis and the associated reductions in groundwater levels are no longer an exceptional situation, but the new normal.