Stuttgart. The Baden-Württemberg Association of Cities is in favour of a CO 2 -pricing. At the most recent board meeting, the committee spoke unanimously in favour and called on the state government to develop a concept together with the municipalities.
"Cities and municipalities have been working hard on the topic of climate protection in recent years - and yet we are finding that it has not been enough in terms of results ", said the President of the Association of Cities and Towns, Dr Peter Kurz, Lord Mayor of Mannheim, citing examples: "Energy saving, renewable energies, energy refurbishment and environmentally friendly mobility have long been on the energy policy agenda of cities," Kurz said, "and there are several networks on climate impact adaptation at both European and international level in which many cities and municipalities in Baden-Württemberg are also involved, such as the EU Covenant of Mayors."
"Proven instruments of municipal climate protection policy are independent and ambitious climate protection concepts in our larger member municipalities and the proven instruments of the European Energy Award," added Gudrun Heute-Bluhm, executive board member of the Association of Cities. The heating plans that will be required in future by the state for the larger municipalities are also available in four places and offer great potential for climate protection with municipal funds.
In order to reduce CO2 -emissions, other incentives are needed than those currently in place, according to the Executive Committee of the Association of German Cities. Following on from the resolution of the German Association of Cities, the board therefore advocates a CO2 This would allow costs to be shifted in favour of climate-friendly energy sources. In any case, the desired restructuring of the state tax and levy system must be socially balanced. "Climate-damaging behaviour must have a price, so we should also examine with the state how we can implement this in the municipal levy system. This is in the interest of the municipalities, which want to actively participate in the achievement of national and international climate protection goals," says the board.
"No one can achieve climate protection alone - neither the federal government, nor the state, nor the municipalities. We can only do it hand in hand, which is why the climate targets can only be achieved if the federal and state governments live up to their responsibility by creating suitable framework conditions and taking action themselves," stressed Mayor Kurz. The state government should therefore come to an agreement with the municipalities on a concept that takes into account the municipal options for action. Climate protection-relevant support programmes should be examined for their effect and adapted if necessary.
President Kurz: "We see climate protection as the challenge of the future and it is a matter for the bosses in our cities - 'mayors for future', so to speak!"
Keywords:
Climate protection, Communities, Environmental policy, Ecology
