The first meetings of the Stakeholder Group and the Citizens' Council took place on March 24 and April 1. In several rounds of meetings, the groups will work on a viable catalog of measures to make Erlangen climate-neutral before 2030.

I see my participation in the Citizens' Council as a great opportunity. I am looking forward to working with the other citizens and am particularly excited about the implementation and adoption of the measures. Participant of the Citizens' Assembly

At the first meetings, the participants met for the first time in their working groups. The main aim was to lay the foundations: Getting to know each other as well as agreeing on what the common objectives are and what principles should guide the collaboration or working methods.

"Climate protection is an issue that affects everyone. The Citizens' Council is an opportunity to develop new approaches and solutions. I hope to gain new insights into the topic of climate protection. Participants in the Citizens' Assembly

In the first rounds of meetings, the main aim was to bring all participants up to a common level of knowledge: The analyses of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg (ifeu) are the basis for all measures that will be discussed in the following meetings. These facts are therefore presented here for all interested readers.

How do you know when a city will be climate-neutral?

If the city of Erlangen as a whole wants to play its part in achieving the 1.5°C target, it can still consume 3.4 million tons of CO₂* - calculated from 2020. For comparison: In 2020, just under 900,000 tons of CO₂ were emitted in the city of Erlangen. The amount of CO2** emitted each year is "counted" in a municipal carbon footprint. This comprises five consumption sectors, listed here according to their percentage share in Erlangen: Private households (22 percent), transportation (39 percent), municipal facilities (1 percent), commercial (24 percent), industry (14 percent).

* This residual budget is a proportion of the total German budget calculated by the German Advisory Council on the Environment (Sachverständigenrat für Umweltfragen ).

Renovation, photovoltaics (PV) and mobility - what would have to happen to achieve the 1.5°C target?

• There are around 20,000 residential buildings in Erlangen. Of these, 300 to 400 residential buildings are currently being renovated every year. In order to achieve the 1.5°C target, 2,000 residential buildings would have to be renovated every year in future.
• PV systems with a total output of 25 MWp are currently installed. This corresponds to an area the size of 29 soccer pitches. An additional 14 MWp would have to be built each year. In other words, an area of 14 soccer pitches or the equivalent of 1 m² per inhabitant per year.
• In the area of mobility, demand for local public transport would have to quadruple and car traffic would have to be reduced by 75 percent by 2028.

Meeting the 1.5°C target is therefore a major challenge. With the Climate Action Roadmap, the city of Erlangen is facing up to this challenge in order to achieve climate neutrality as quickly as possible.

The follow-up meetings: Outlook

The figures from the Erlangen analyses and the results of the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report show emphatically that the climate targets are still achievable, but require rapid implementation. In the second round of meetings on May 12 and 13, the groups will discuss what measures can be taken in Erlangen to achieve this. How can more buildings be renovated? How can public transport be made more attractive? What can be done to combat the shortage of skilled workers? What alternatives to natural gas and oil can be used for heating in Erlangen?

Together we can shape the future of Erlangen!

41 Solution approaches

In the second round of meetings of the Citizens' Council and the stakeholder group, the participants got to know the catalog of measures and began to develop it further. Why further development? The catalog comprises 41 possible solutions. They were drawn up on the basis of expert analyses and show how Erlangen can become climate-neutral. Representatives of the citizenry as well as representatives from areas important for climate protection such as business, city administration and education are now to examine how these measures can be implemented for Erlangen. They will discuss the pros and cons, show where there is a high level of acceptance and how the measures can be tailored to the needs of Erlangen residents.

Building and renovating made easy

Among other things, the topic of construction and renovation, which is particularly important for climate protection, was the subject of lively discussion: the building stock in Erlangen must continuously become more energy-efficient and resource-saving. This applies to all buildings - private, commercial and municipal buildings. Both in the Citizens' Council and in the stakeholder group, it became clear that there is a great need for comprehensive advice. Because even if there is a willingness to renovate, implementation is often complex. Information on measures and funding programs is not yet easily accessible. The lack of tradespeople is recognized as a further obstacle.

One-stop store - everything from a single source

So-called "all-round carefree packages" are also of interest - how can we ensure that everyone has easy access to information and support? This is the aim of the "One Stop Shop: Fit for the future" aims to achieve this: Both groups are calling for a central point of contact where all information and advice services are made available in a bundled form. Comprehensive support throughout the entire construction or renovation process is seen as equally important. Whether this should be provided by an energy agency or public bodies will be discussed further in the course of the process. The stakeholder group believes that the city of Erlangen has a clear responsibility when it comes to expanding photovoltaic systems. There is a willingness to promote all possibilities for the use of photovoltaics, both on roof surfaces and on sealed surfaces. The city should improve the regulatory framework for this and make full use of its options in urban land-use planning.

Erlangen's future: moving statements and demands

The conclusion of the Citizens' Council meetings is also a summary of the great importance of urban participation processes. All participants were moved by the opportunity to actively help shape the catalog of measures and thus the future of their city. The discussion about the concrete possibilities of behaving in a climate-neutral way has led to a rethink of everyday habits. The participation process also showed that knowledge is needed to understand the complexity of the measures. With this knowledge, it is possible to overcome resistance and prejudices. And there is also a willingness to commit to climate neutrality in Erlangen beyond the process. It is now eagerly awaited how Erlangen will change over the next eight years.

It is not only in Erlangen that clear political decisions are required to support and advance corporate and institutional climate protection measures. The measures were also discussed controversially and intensively in the stakeholder group. Nevertheless, the stakeholder group expressed the desire to continue the dialog beyond the meetings and to look for solutions together. As a result, the City of Erlangen was tasked with continuing the exchange in various formats.