The path to climate neutrality in 2030

The city of Erlangen has set itself the goal of meeting the 1.5°C climate target in Erlangen's urban area. For Erlangen, this means becoming climate-neutral before 2030. If greenhouse gas emissions (CO2e) were to remain as high as they are today, all calculations indicate that the climate target would already be missed by 2025. To prevent this, the necessary change processes must be initiated as quickly as possible. This is nothing less than a major project for society as a whole with a scope never before seen in Erlangen's history. What is required for this?

The focus is on a holistic participation process: because effective climate protection needs the support of the people. From February to fall 2022, representatives of the citizenry - the Climate Awakening Citizens' Council - and a group of stakeholders from key areas relevant to climate protection will draw up a roadmap, the Climate Awakening Roadmap*. It sets out specific targets and measures for the city of Erlangen. It calculates the extent to which CO2e emissions in areas such as industry, buildings, transport, trade and agriculture must be reduced in the coming years.

However, this roadmap can only be effective if the measures are actually brought to life. The roadmap is therefore part of an agreement, the "Climate City Contract", with which the city of Erlangen is calling for a credible commitment from the stakeholders involved. A further milestone will be set in the fall of 2022 when the city council votes on the catalog of measures developed: It is up to the council to decide which measures the city of Erlangen will use to move towards climate neutrality.

*In cooperation with the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu) and the sustainability consultancy Green City Experience