Austrian Minister traveled to COP26 to Glasgow by train 27 hours – SME.sk

GLASGOW. Austrian Minister for Climate and Environment Leonore Gewessler arrived by train at the ongoing UN Climate Summit (COP26) in Glasgow. Her journey from Vienna, even with a transfer in Brussels, took 27 hours.

She used the transfer in Brussels for further meetings

Unlike some ministers from other European countries, it reached the finish line with a significantly lower carbon footprint. The AP agency informed about it on Tuesday.

The Austrian minister thus avoided the criticism received by several prominent summit participants who traveled to Glasgow by air. The aim of the climate conference is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the AP reminds.

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“Wherever possible, I try to choose a climate-friendly option,” said Gewessler, whose department also deals with transport issues.

Gewessler traveled from Vienna to Brussels in a sleeping car. The minister said on Monday that she had used the transfer in the Belgian capital to meet other European officials.

She also continued from Brussels to Glasgow by train, preparing for the climate summit, which culminates this week.

Trains represent the future

Leonore Gewessler took up the ministerial post last January and has since sought to revitalize the network of night trains, which have fallen sharply as a result of competition from low-cost airlines and cheap tickets.

“Trains and night trains represent the future of short and medium distance travel in Europe,” she added.

The Austrian minister recently introduced a measure called a “climate ticket”. This allows Austrians to travel throughout their country by any means of public transport for 1095 euros a year or three euros a day.

Almost 130,000 people have bought a climate ticket in recent weeks, which has surpassed even the ministry’s most optimistic estimates.

Gewessler said the way travel is a personal choice for each individual. However, she added that she had also become a politician to make it easier for people to move in a climate-friendly way.