The provincial capital Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee is the only Austrian city participating in the EU Cities Mission "100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030." The roadmap for achieving the targeted (balance-based) climate neutrality is outlined in the so-called Climate City Contract, which was accepted by the European Commission in autumn 2023 and politically adopted at the local level through version 7.2 of the Smart City Climate Strategy.

The ambitious climate goal can only be achieved through close cooperation with internal and external stakeholders. With a total area of approximately 442,000 m², around 4,000 employees, and more than 1,000 beds, the Klagenfurt Hospital (Klinikum Klagenfurt) is an energy- and resource-intensive operation with corresponding impacts extending beyond its direct boundaries. Although the hospital has successfully implemented various climate protection measures over many years and has held EMAS certification for more than a decade, there has so far been no comprehensive, systematic approach to greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting and subsequent evaluation of the impacts on local and national environmental targets.

Within the exploratory project K3 – Climate-Neutral Klagenfurt Hospital, the project partners IPAK GmbH, JOANNEUM RESEARCH, and the Regional Hospital Operating Company (KABEG) developed a complete greenhouse gas inventory and corresponding hotspot analysis. This includes direct GHG emissions (Scope 1), indirect emissions from generated energy used (Scope 2), and indirect emissions from upstream and downstream processes (Scope 3), divided into the subcategories 3.1 (Purchased goods), 3.2 (Capital goods), 3.3 (Energy-related activities), 3.4 (Upstream transport), 3.5 (Waste), 3.6 (Business travel), 3.7 (Employee commuting), and an additionally introduced category 3.16 (Patient and visitor mobility).

Based on the hotspot analysis results, the current status was assessed, taking into account ongoing and planned measures and comparing them to recommendations — for example, those of the Strategy for a Climate-Neutral Healthcare System published by the Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection (BMSGPK). The impact of upstream supply chain emissions (Scope 3) accounts for around 90% (market-based) of total emissions. Indirect GHG emissions from energy generation (Scope 2) represent about 9% of total emissions, with industrial steam procurement having a particularly significant local effect. A dedicated feasibility study was commissioned to explore technically and economically viable alternatives to natural gas-based steam generation. The analysis revealed that, under current framework conditions, the available options are only economically feasible to a limited extent.

Based on the 2023 reference-year GHG inventory, JOANNEUM RESEARCH developed prospective transformation pathways and analysed and evaluated sets of measures. Transformation pathways support management in making long-term strategic decisions by providing a sound data basis and demonstrating the impact of various GHG reduction options. Within the exploratory study, JOANNEUM RESEARCH created three transformation scenarios: (i) a "reference scenario" without internal KABEG measures, (ii) an "action scenario" including KABEG's planned measures, and (iii) a "climate-neutrality scenario" featuring feasible long-term strategies. The ambitious climate-neutrality scenario assumes favourable external political conditions, incorporates all proposed internal measures, and forecasts a GHG emission reduction of between -48% and -68% by 2050 compared to the reference year 2023. The variability of results driven by different socio-economic development paths is narrower in the climate-neutrality scenario than in the reference scenarios, indicating the robustness of the measures. However, the analysis clearly highlights the strong dependency of the healthcare sector on international, national, and regional developments as well as the pace of implementation of effective political climate protection measures.

Given the ongoing progression of climate change, it is becoming increasingly important to consider potential climate adaptation measures alongside mitigation actions. Particular attention should be paid to the overheating of urban areas (Urban Heat Island effect) caused by sealing surfaces. Smart building design and greening can effectively counteract this effect. To systematically assess heatrelated impacts of climate change and derive appropriate adaptation measures, a microclimate analysis was carried out at the Klagenfurt Hospital. Results show that certain parts of the hospital grounds experience increased heat load during summer days, although large-scale over-heating has not yet been observed. In light of the projected rise in hot days, the strategic objective is to preserve climatically favourable zones in the long term and to enhance the thermal comfort and resilience of the site through climate-resilient construction, targeted greening, surface unsealing, and the creation of additional green and open spaces.

In a large institution like the Klagenfurt Hospital, responsibilities are often not immediately visible to external parties, and many of the topics addressed in the project involve a large number of internal and external stakeholders. For this reason, an extensive stakeholder analysis was conducted at the beginning of the project, and stakeholders were categorized accordingly. The stakeholder map was continuously updated as the project progressed. The combination of measure development and stakeholder analysis enabled the initiation of first implementation steps already during the exploratory phase. While some of these measures are state of the art (e.g., establishing e-car-sharing and bike-sharing stations), the exploratory phase also revealed several areas where innovative approaches need to be developed and tested. The project team is currently evaluating the potential of a research, technology, and innovation (RTI) funding project to pursue these opportunities further.

Project management

International Project Management Agency on Lake Woerthersee GmbH (IPAK GmbH)

Project or cooperation partners

• Landeskrankenanstalten-Betriebsgesellschaft – KABEG
• JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH

Stefan Guggenberger, BSc.
Neuer Platz 1
A-9010 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee
Tel.: +43 (463) 537 4599
E-mail: umwelt@klagenfurt.at
Web: www.klagenfurt.at
Web: ipakklagenfurt.at