Berlin/Cologne. Climate protection and adaptation to the consequences of climate change will become increasingly important for cities. This is one of the findings of the survey of (Lord) Mayors of large German cities* conducted by the German Institute of Urban Affairs in January and February 2020. Almost two-thirds of the respondents named climate protection as an important municipal issue for the future. This means that the number of mayors who attribute an increase in importance to this field of municipal policy action has more than tripled compared to the previous year. Future surveys will show how strongly this result was influenced by the protests of the 'Fridays for Future' movement.
Kategorie für Blog: DE-News
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The use of solar energy is an important pillar in the energy mix of the future and for the concrete implementation of the energy transition. At the end of 2019, around 1.8 million solar power systems with an output of 49,873 megawatt peak (MWp) were installed across Germany. With around 45 billion kWh of climate-friendly electricity, these accounted for a share of just under eight percent of German electricity generation. This amount is mathematically sufficient to supply 12.8 million households with electrical energy for a year. The approximately 280,000 turbines installed in NRW had an output of around 5,300 megawatt peak.
Housing construction has great potential to contribute to resource conservation. For this reason, NRW.BANK supports developers with a new additional loan under the state's housing promotion programme. Wood as a building material already contributes to climate protection during the construction of a building. This is why the Ministry of Home Affairs, Municipal Affairs, Building and Equal [...]
In North Rhine-Westphalia, around one in two (50.6 percent) of the 18,334 residential buildings (excluding dormitories) approved in 2019 are to be heated predominantly or exclusively with renewable energies.
Eine Studie des Forums Ökologisch-Soziale Marktwirtschaft im Auftrag von Greenpeace (März 2020).
Durch die Corona-Krise wird der Staat Soforthilfen und weitreichende Konjunkturmaßnahmen historischen Ausmaßes umsetzen. Während Gesundheit und die kurzfristige Unterstützung von Arbeitnehmer*innen und Unternehmen in den Fokus rücken, dürfen die Fehler vergangener Wirtschaftskrisen nicht wiederholt werden. Die geplanten Hilfen für einen wirtschaftlichen Neustart können die Weichen stellen für die notwendige Transformation. Anhand einiger Beispiele wird illustriert, wie kurzfristige wirtschaftliche Unterstützung mit langfristigen gesellschaftlichen Prioritäten in Einklang gebracht werden können.
While the emergency aid for companies is getting underway, the debate about possible post-crisis economic stimulus packages is also gaining momentum. The German Green Business Association is proposing a transformation fund to combine a new start for the economy with social aspects and environmental and climate protection.
Sustainable development is hardly conceivable without a consistent circular economy. Turning away from a predominantly linear economy requires a change of course. UBA has drawn up guiding principles for politics, business and society which systematically set out the objectives, scope for action, standards of action, requirements and success factors of a circular economy.
Hydrogen from hydropower: successful start for one of the largest power-to-gas plants in Germany to date. This is reported by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW). The megawatt plant has been in operation for four months in April 2020 and is functioning reliably. A research electrolyser connected to it is also running successfully. The ZSW is coordinating the project. The operator of the commercial plant is the energy supplier Energiedienst AG.
The Lower Saxony Timber Construction Prize has now been awarded for the third time. The aim of the state-wide competition is to strengthen the use of wood as a climate-friendly and sustainable building material, to present the current state of timber construction and to inspire future builders to build with this unique raw material. The Lower Saxony Timber Construction Award 2020 honours structures and buildings that are predominantly made of wood and wood-based materials and stand out for their high design and timber construction quality, as well as taking particular account of ecological and resource-saving aspects in the interests of sustainability.
Ab heute lässt sich die Webdatenbank für nachhaltige Siedlungen und Quartiere unter der Domain "sdg21.eu" abrufen. Die bisherigen Domains www.siedlungen.eu, www.holzbausiedlungen.de und deren Subdomains sind weiterhin aktiv und führen direkt zu den jeweiligen Inhalten.
Why the move to sdg21.eu?
There is a content-related and a practical reason for this. The practical reason is the somewhat shorter spelling, but also that it is easier to pronounce.
Der inhaltliche Grund ist, dass es auf dieser Webseite nicht nur um Siedlungen gehen soll, wie es www.siedlungen.eu vermuten lässt, sondern vermehrt auch um Stadtquartiere. Stadtquartiere mit weitergehenden Nachhaltigkeitskonzepten gibt es nicht so viele, wie Nachhaltige Siedlungen oder Ökosiedlungen. Aber die städtebauliche Struktur von im besten Fall nutzungsgemischten Quartieren und die in den meisten Fällen deutlich geringere Flächenverbrauch bei gleicher Nutzfläche, ist alleine schon ein signifikanter Beitrag zu einer Nachhaltigen Entwicklung. Gemischte Quartiere sind kozeptionell bestens dafür geeignet Alltagsmobilität ohne privaten PkW zu organisieren und sind eine etablierte und erprobte Methode um preiswerten Wohnraum in der Stadt herzustellen.
Um diesen Themenschwerpunkt direkter kommunizieren zu können, gibt es innerhalb der sdg21.Webdatenbank nun zusätzlich den Zugang über die URL www.quartiere.net. This link will directly display Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods.
Die neue Rubrik "Historische Siedlungen und Quartiere vor 1980" ist im Aufbau:
https://siedlungen.eu/thema/historische-projekte-vor-1980
There, projects are listed that are considered to be type representatives of certain themes that are still frequently mentioned in sustainable settlements and neighbourhoods today.
In research, neighbourhoods have been recognised as an important level of action for climate protection. For this reason, the BMBF, BMU and the Federal Ministry of Building and Transport have funded several research projects on sustainable neighbourhoods, which are now being worked on. The consensus of the research projects presented and the funding bodies is that it is important to research neighbourhood concepts for a climate-friendly heat and electricity supply as well as an environmentally friendly mobility offer in an economical way" and "to link the individual elements in the sense of a functioning sector coupling in a meaningful way."
The focus articles in the "Ecological Economy 3/2019" issue highlight the potential of the neighbourhood approach for the implementation of climate protection measures, but also present best practice examples and discuss feasibility in practice.
3:00 min. Published: 12.03.2020
The non-profit association GermanZero has taken the initiative and put together a comprehensive package of measures - now it is to be implemented. The initiative is seeking support with the video.
Joining us are:
Rike Schmid, Rezo, Jan Josef Liefers, Christoph Kramer, Carolin Kebekus, Charly Hübner, Jan Delay, Markus Kavka, Katrin Ingendoh, Andreas Rettig, Nik Xhelilaj, Rewinside, Mark Zwinz, Anneke Kim Sarnau, Emma Bading, Volker Bruch, Lars Jessen, Peter Jordan, Karoline Eichhorn, Wanja Mues, Jan Plewka, Marlis Heppeler, Steffen Weinhold, Katharina Wackernagel, Christine Urspruch, Raul Krauthausen, Rocko Schamoni, Mojib Latif, Joko Winterscheidt, Stephan Schad, André Schürrle, Moritz Vierboom, Friederike Kempter, Matthias Willenbacher, Axel Prahl, Maria Ketikidou, Mirella Precek, Jan Georg Schütte, Bjarne Mädel, Pheline Roggan, Andreas Altenburg, Lisa Maria Potthoff, Désirée von Delft, Peter Smits, Gustav Peter Wöhler, Ruth Toma, Maren Eggert, Benjamin Sadler, Fettes Brot, Jonas Nay, Stephan Kampwirth, Miriam Stein, Lea van Acken
From the meeting of the Senate on 10 March 2020:
The Senate today adopted a comprehensive catalogue of measures to accelerate the expansion of solar energy in Berlin, following a proposal by the Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Ramona Pop.
Senator Pop: "The potential study for the Solarcity Masterplan has shown that we can harvest 25 per cent of the electricity generated with solar energy from Berlin's rooftops. We must therefore accelerate the expansion of solar energy in the city. It is necessary for the federal government to finally improve the legal framework for solar energy in cities. Nevertheless, we want to actively utilise the available scope at state level. With the Solarcity Masterplan, we will expand information and advice, provide incentives and also examine regulatory instruments. The implementation of the Solarcity Masterplan is a joint task for the Senate, but also for all Berlin stakeholders from business and society."
City Planning Councillor Professor Dr. (l) Elisabeth Merk has now symbolically handed over the key to the members of the "Der Kleine Prinz" building association in Munich's Prinz Eugen Park. Their new building ensemble of atrium and point houses on Jörg-Hube-Strasse is part of the ecological model settlement there. In addition to apartments, two guest apartments, an ice cream café and a bicycle repair shop were built.
Konturen einer solidarischen Stadtpolitik
Anton Brokow-Loga (Hrsg.),
Frank Eckardt (Hrsg.)
Städte ohne Wachstum – eine bislang kaum vorstellbare Vision. Doch Klimawandel,
Ressourcenverschwendung, wachsende soziale Ungleichheiten und viele andere
Zukunftsgefahren stellen das bisherige Allheilmittel Wachstum grundsätzlich infrage. Wie wollen
wir heute und morgen zusammenleben? Wie gestalten wir ein gutes Leben für alle in der Stadt?
- Over EUR 28 billion for "climate protection measures": KfW is one of the most important supporters of the Paris climate goals
- Promotional bank is a global pioneer with its standardised SDG mapping
- Strong international interest in KfW SDG mapping
KfW is today publishing the results of the SDG mapping of new commitments throughout the Group in 2019. In order to clarify the individual contribution made by KfW's new commitments to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, KfW has developed a standardised procedure: 1,500 indicators are used each year to determine to which SDGs KfW's new commitments can be assigned. This makes the contribution transparent at both group and business sector level.
Min. 4:36; Video from 18.02.2020; Ed.: MWSP Mannheim
Mannheim's conversion is green - this is demonstrated by the work of the municipal development company MWSP on the TURLEY, TAYLOR, FRANKLIN and SPINELLI sites.
The federal government can give a short-term boost to public housing construction in Germany and thus help to ease the acute housing shortage in many large cities. The key to this is three federally owned companies that provide flexible support to the federal states and local authorities in the development of construction projects and the construction of new housing: Firstly, a consultancy company that provides planning capacities to cities and municipalities. Secondly, a land fund that provides financial and conceptual support to local authorities nationwide in acquiring building land and financing infrastructure. Thirdly, an investment company that strengthens the equity of municipal housing construction companies through financial participation. Prof Dr Sebastian Dullien, Scientific Director of the Institute for Macroeconomics and Economic Research (IMK) at the Hans Böckler Foundation, and Prof Dr Tom Krebs from the University of Mannheim show this in a new concept for a federal "Future Housing" initiative.
More new registrations, growth rate weakened / German manufacturers in 5th and 6th place
In 2019, the number of electric cars worldwide rose to around 7.9 million - an increase of 2.3 million compared to the previous year. The number of new registrations once again reached an all-time high, but grew only slightly compared to 2018. With a total of 3.8 million e-cars, China remains the undisputed global leader. It is followed by the USA with just under 1.5 million. The growth rate of new registrations declined in these two countries in particular. In Germany, on the other hand, the market continued to develop positively, albeit at a lower level: here, just under 231,000 electric vehicles were rolling along the roads at the end of 2019. The new figures come from a recent survey by the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW). According to the researchers, Tesla recorded the most new registrations worldwide in 2019, with 361,000. German manufacturers continued to improve on the previous year: BMW is in fifth place worldwide with 114,500 electric cars. VW reaches sixth place.Funding is available for greening facades and roofs as well as for unsealing on private, public and commercial properties in the Hannover city area.
A further 700,000 euros will be available for #moinzukunft cargo bikes from 1 April. Up to 2,000 euros in subsidies are possible for the purchase of a new e-load bike and 500 euros for normal load bikes.
With retroactive effect from 1 January 2020, the timber construction subsidy in Hamburg has now officially been increased to EUR 0.80 per kilogramme of timber product as part of the various subsidised housing construction programmes. As a prerequisite for the subsidy,...
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The documentary features a 5-minute sequence about the Waldquelle ecological housing estate in Bielefeld. Ute Möller, one of the founders, gives a tour of the eco-settlement and talks about the experiences and developments in the now almost 25-year-old settlement with lots of wood, greenery and solar cells on the roof.
7-storey timber (hybrid) building. 66 bathroom modules were designed as a complete technical core for the student apartments.
Climate protection has long been one of the most urgent topics for the housing industry. In order to achieve a climate-neutral building stock by 2050, the 24 founding companies of the Wohnen.2050 initiative met in Berlin on 28 January 2020 to found the association. The nationwide association was initiated by the Nassauische Heimstätte | Wohnstadt group of companies.
"Don't just talk about climate change, act" - under this motto, the Nassauische Heimstätte | Wohnstadt Group invited founding partners from all over Germany to found the Initiative Wohnen.2050 (IW2050) association. The overarching objective is a climate policy alliance, which, in addition to strategic cooperation and a technical and content-related comparison, primarily focuses on economic and financial concerns to achieve the targets.
A research project conducted by natureplus in conjunction with IFEU compares insulation materials with regard to their environmental impact throughout their entire life cycle, including recovery and recycling.
Which insulation material is the best? This question is extremely popular in the construction industry and can ultimately only be answered in the context of the respective construction. In particular, there has so far been a lack of a holistic overview that enables builders and planners to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the various insulation material alternatives in terms of their life cycle assessment, without having to disregard subsequent disposal.
At a press conference today, Lord Mayor Dieter Reiter, together with City Planning Councillor Professor Dr. (l) Elisabeth Merk, presented an overall plan for Munich's mobility in the coming decades.
Thuringia is making six million euros available this year for investments in municipal climate protection. The funding comes from the state's "Klima Invest" programme, which has already provided more than 15.5 million euros in investments in municipalities since the beginning of 2018, as the Ministry of the Environment announced in Erfurt on Thursday. 312 applications for funding have been approved.
27.01.2020 A material revolution that replaces cement and steel with wood in urban construction can have double benefits for climate stabilization. This is now shown in a study by an international team of scientists. First, it can avoid greenhouse gas emissions from cement and steel production. Secondly, it can turn buildings into carbon sinks, since in the construction timber the CO2 is stored. Although the required amount of wood is theoretically available, such an expansion would require very careful sustainable forest management, the authors emphasize.
This week, the German cabinet plans to adopt the draft bill on the coal phase-out law. However, the roadmap for the shutdown of coal-fired power plants that is to be voted on deviates in several places from the coal compromise reached last year. The Solar Cluster Baden-Württemberg points this out and demands considerable improvements. According to the draft law, carbon dioxide emissions will be reduced significantly less than agreed in the first ten years: By 2030, only five gigawatts instead of 20 gigawatts of power are to be switched off. In addition, the number of CO2 allowances will not fall to the same extent as coal-fired power generation.
150 concrete proposals are contained in a catalogue that the city of Bonn has drawn up in recent months following the declaration of the climate emergency. Many of the measures can be implemented directly by the administration, while others require a political decision. At a press conference on Wednesday, 22 January 2020, Lord Mayor Ashok Sridharan and City Planning Officer Helmut Wiesner presented the catalogue of measures. On 4 July 2019, Bonn City Council decided to support a resolution to declare a climate emergency. Bonn has thus joined other municipalities and reaffirmed that climate protection must be a top priority in municipal action. The administration has therefore drawn up a catalogue of measures over the past few months with the involvement of all departments.
21.01.2020 Everyone is talking about sustainability - including the construction industry. A prize that the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) have been offering since today provides the appropriate topic for discussion: With the new "Federal Award for Environment and Building", which will be awarded for the first time in 2020, the initiators want to distinguish projects with exemplary character in terms of sustainability - not only in the classic areas of existing buildings and new buildings, but also in five other categories. All players in the building sector can apply. The deadline for entries is 15 April 2020.
The Munich City Council's Committee for Urban Planning and Building Regulations has decided to promote the construction of new, contemporary timber construction projects. This year, the city council will develop a further subsidy programme for construction using wood and other renewable raw materials.
The grant programme is suitable for individual projects as well as larger housing estates and neighbourhoods. The aim of the city council is to ensure that around 50 per cent of the buildings on municipal land are constructed using timber.
Climate protection and socially just construction and housing must be considered together - Legal regulations in the rental housing sector and state subsidy practice undermine climate goals in the building sector - Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Deutscher Mieterbund present 10-point immediate programme for socially acceptable design of energy modernisation in existing and new buildings - KfW subsidy practice must be subjected to a reality check - Social provisions must be supplemented by climate policy requirements
The share of renewable energies in electricity consumption rises to almost 43 percent. The climate protection successes in the electricity sector are diminished by rising greenhouse gas emissions in buildings and transport. In parallel, public interest in climate protection is rising: since May 2019, it has consistently been the most pressing political issue in the eyes of the population. This is shown by Agora Energiewende's 2019 annual evaluation.
