Climate Alliance: Cities worldwide declare climate emergency

Call to action

Climate Alliance calls on politicians to protect the climate with the Climate Action Call shortly before the EU elections

Stakeholders from across Europe have today launched a call for climate action. "Hundreds of cities across Europe and the world are declaring a climate emergency. They are pushing for an end to fossil fuels and the exclusive use of renewable energy to contribute to climate justice worldwide," explains Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance, co-signatory of the call. "It is time for current and future EU politicians to work together to turn this goal into a European reality."

The Climate Action Call was launched in the run-up to the meeting of heads of state and government on 9 May on the future of Europe and the European elections, which will take place from 23 to 26 May. In parallel, more than 200 mayors are sending an open letter to the European Council and its member states calling for a sustainable and future-proof climate policy. The signatories of the Climate Action Call are calling on current and future EU leaders to take social and municipal calls seriously, take action and make climate action a top priority.

The Climate Action Call lists the following five steps for the new EU Parliament and the Commission as well as all EU member states:

reduce greenhouse gas emissions more quickly by 2030 and achieve greenhouse gas neutrality as quickly as possible.
Focus on the end of fossil fuels and support energy efficiency, renewable energy and emission reductions outside the energy sector.
Ensure fair and equitable structural change. Furthermore, to ensure that the EU provides greater support to developing countries in climate protection and adaptation to climate change.
step up efforts to introduce the circular economy and increase resource efficiency.
protect biodiversity and promote the restoration of ecosystems as a crucial component of climate protection.

Hundreds of cities, companies, investors, scientists, religious communities, sports clubs and civil society organisations from areas ranging from climate protection to human rights and health have taken up the Climate Action Call to bring about profound changes in how we organise our society and economy to keep global warming below 1.5°C.

Further information

Video message from Climate Alliance President Tine Heyse
Complete signatory statements (scroll down)
Mayor's letter for more climate ambition (pdf)
On local climate emergency declarations
Further information on zero carbon

Contact

Sarah Mekjian, Climate Alliance
Tel. 069- 717 139 20
Email: s.mekjian@klimabuendnis.org

The Climate Alliance

For more than 25 years, the member municipalities of the Climate Alliance have been working with their indigenous partners in the rainforests to protect the global climate. With 1,700 members from 26 European countries, the Climate Alliance is the world's largest city network dedicated to climate protection and the only one to set specific targets: Each Climate Alliance municipality has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by ten per cent every five years. As our lifestyle has a direct impact on particularly endangered peoples and places on this planet, the Climate Alliance combines local action with global responsibility.
www.klimabuendnis.org

Source: Climate Alliance press release, 07/05/2019

Keywords: Stakeholders, Climate protection, Communities, News Blog Europe (without DE), Environmental policy, Ecology

Published 5. July 2018

Network Immovielien e.V. founded

Immovielien versus state and market failure in land policy

On 18 June 2018, almost 50 members from all over Germany founded the association Netzwerk Immovielien e. V. at the ufaFabrik in Berlin-Tempelhof. Since 2017, actors from civil society, the public sector, business, welfare, and academia have been working closely together in the network to promote a stronger focus on the common good in real estate and neighborhood development. The common good-oriented view of urban development issues and the heterogeneous composition of the members are the special features of the Immovielien network: the diversity of attitudes, discourses and formats makes it credible within the professional world, effective in the cause and attractive for new and old members.
"The interest in exchanging ideas and working together was enormous right from the start," says Jörn Luft from the Bonn-based Montag Stiftung Urbane Räume, which currently holds the coordinating position for the network. "Immovielien-Macher*innen and their partners want to become even more involved in the public discussion in the future through their educational and networking work".

Immovielien - real estate by many for many - are real estate and neighbourhood projects that create lasting added value for society and the neighbourhood. They are created in a participatory and interdisciplinary development process, mostly driven by civil society. They are to be strengthened by the network's activities, which range from events and publications to information and networking formats to concrete cooperations for real estate and urban development oriented towards the common good.

In the new association, the Immovielien network can now continue to grow structurally and financially independently. "We are extremely pleased that we were able to launch the association with almost 50 founding members. The same number of members is already in the starting blocks and wants to fill out the membership application in the next few days," says Rolf Novy-Huy from the Hattingen-based trias Foundation, who will take over the honorary board of directors together with Benedikt Altrogge from GLS Gemeinschaftsbank eG in Bochum.
"Now we want to co-ordinate as fast as possible over our work emphasis and take up then with a new co-ordination place in Berlin speed , announce Benedikt Altrogge. Proposals for possible focal points of work were already collected at the founding event. In addition to public and networking events, educational and public relations work, as well as cooperation between and for community-oriented actors in urban development, should continue to play an important role.

The network also wants to continue to advocate for the fundamental improvement of framework conditions for real estate and urban development oriented towards the common good. In view of the tense situation in many municipalities, savings dictates in the wrong place and a lack of will to reform would be tantamount to a failure on the part of the state, said both Florian Schmidt, a city councillor for construction in Berlin Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, and Caren Lay, deputy parliamentary group leader and spokeswoman on construction policy for The Left Party in the German Bundestag.

The network had already started a critical monitoring of the federal political discussions before its foundation. The network wants to continue this in the future. It remains important not to play each other off, noted founding member Thomas Bestgen from UTB Projektmanagement GmbH in Berlin, referring to the successful Immovielien projects in Switzerland. Much more decisive than the arguments about the most suitable legal form is the visible result of the real estate development for the people in the neighbourhood. Jörn Luft, who will be managing the transition of the existing network into the association until the summer, announced that the Immovieliensammlung, which will be available on the network's website, is one example of what this can look like.

Board of Directors: Rolf Novy-Huy (Hattingen) and Benedikt Altrogge (Bochum)
Coordination Office Immovielien Network
At the brewhouse 2
12053 Berlin

For more information on the network, click here:
www.netzwerk-immovielien.de

Keywords:
Stakeholders, DE-News, News Blog Berlin, Social / Culture, Housing policy, Housing projects, eG