A legal framework for a climate neutral built environment? Open legal issues in the building related climate protection regime

Abstract

This presentation addressed current legal issues related to the challenges posed by the sustainability transformation of the building sector. Taking the EU's current energy and climate policies as a starting point, Austria was used as an example to show how these endeavours are reflected in building and planning law. Which parts of the legal order have already been adapted to the key targets of the EU energy and climate policy and where is there a need for further action? A key thesis is that the current law cannot currently do justice to the necessity of transformation, as it has so far completely excluded urgent questions regarding embodied energy and emissions and the use of scarce resources. A certain reorientation of building and planning law is needed, including innovative legal instruments.