Min. 8:16; Video from 7.1.2020; Ed.: MWSP Mannheim
Dieter Janecek, Spokesperson for Industrial Policy and the Digital Economy, and Dr. Bettina Hoffmann, Spokesperson for Environmental Policy and Environmental Health, comment on today's cabinet meeting and the planned discussion of the draft German Resource Efficiency Programme III (ProgRess III):
With ProgRess III, the German government is treading water. Two resource efficiency programmes of the Federal Government could not prevent the German consumption of raw materials from continuing to rise. It is foreseeable that the third resource programme of the Federal Government will not change this situation either. ProgRess III also remains a longish hodgepodge of plans, announcements and test orders.
The majority of the measures are limited to non-binding information and advisory instruments. In addition, reference is made in some cases to ongoing processes or measures are listed which the Federal Government is obliged to take in any case, for example with regard to the implementation of EU directives. There is a lack of concrete legislative initiatives and funding programmes backed by substantial financial resources.
German industry plays a central role in the consumption of metallic raw materials worldwide. For aluminium and copper, for example, it is the third largest consumer. Germany's responsibility is correspondingly great. Unfortunately, it remains open by how much the increase in raw material consumption is to be reduced nationally and at the European level. Without a concrete reduction target, however, it is difficult to trace or verify a path.
In the past, the pure focus on raw material efficiency led to rebound effects. We therefore urgently need a genuine raw materials turnaround that leads not only to a relative but also to an absolute reduction in resource consumption. The Greens already called for a reduction in resource consumption by a factor of 10 by 2050 in their motion on a raw materials turnaround last year.
In addition, the Greens advocate the transfer of the resource efficiency programme into an action plan for the circular economy. This should include, among other things, legally anchored waste reduction targets and an extension of producer responsibility to product groups such as building materials, furniture and textiles.
Source: PM from 17.6.2020
Keywords:
Building materials / Construction, DE-News, Faktor X / ResScore, Resource efficiency, City, Environmental policy
With the targets for the Climate Action Plan 2050, the German government is pursuing ambitious plans. For the building sector, this means that a virtually climate-neutral building stock is to be achieved by 2050. The Federal Building Ministry has launched pilot projects, such as Efficiency Houses Plus in existing buildings, which are investigating ways to achieve this goal in a practical manner. By 2030, the political framework conditions should be designed in such a way that the requirements for a virtually climate-neutral building stock are already in place. The energy standard for the construction of new residential and non-residential buildings must be further developed by 2030. Likewise, from 2030, the energy-efficient refurbishment of buildings must largely fulfil the requirement of a virtually climate-neutral building stock.
To ensure that the necessary energy-efficient refurbishment and new construction measures are sustainable, the focus must be on holistic planning approaches that combine forward-looking architectural design and utilisation quality with energy-efficient measures. Special care must be taken with energy refurbishment measures to protect our building fabric that is worth preserving, including those that are not subject to protection under monument protection legislation. The diversity of façades must be protected.
For all buildings, whether new or old, the following applies: The compatibility with the building culture must be examined on a case-by-case basis, and various ecological, economic, technical and design solutions must be sought. Standardisation, shapelessness and arbitrariness should be avoided. They lead to a loss of identity-forming building culture.
Objectives: Extract from the fields of action
The Climate Action Plan is based on the guiding principle of achieving greenhouse gas neutrality by the middle of the century. For the year 2030, it reaffirms the overall target of a greenhouse gas reduction of at least 55 per cent compared to 1990, while at the same time breaking this overall target down into individual sectors for the first time. The plan thus provides clear guidance for all sectors.
Of central importance is the reorganisation of the Energy industry. Important steps have already been taken in this sector with the energy transition. Renewable electricity will also enable other sectors - such as transport - to move away from climate-damaging fossil fuels. Renewable energies will be further expanded and coal-fired power generation will be reduced accordingly. A new "Growth, Structural Change and Regional Development" commission is to develop a mix of instruments. This is intended to help the regions and sectors that are particularly affected by the structural change associated with the energy transition.
At Buildings there is a "roadmap for a virtually climate-neutral building stock". Buildings are particularly durable, which is why the course for 2050 must be set early on. The reduction should be 66-67 per cent by 2030. This will be achieved through ambitious new building standards, long-term refurbishment strategies and the gradual phasing out of fossil-fuelled heating systems.
The Transport sector will contribute 40 to 42 per cent to the 2030 climate target. A series of climate protection concepts will identify measures to achieve this, such as a climate protection concept for road transport. Alternative drive systems, local public transport, rail transport and cycling and walking will play an important role, as will a digitalisation strategy.
In the area of Industry the reduction should be 49 to 51 per cent. The German government will launch a research, development and market launch programme to reduce previously unavoidable industrial process emissions.
For land use and Forestrywhich are not included in the assessment of target fulfilment, the focus is on maintaining and improving the sink capacity of the forest. In addition, sustainable forest management and the associated use of wood, the preservation of permanent grassland, the protection of peat soils and the climate potential of natural forest development.
Link:
www.klimaschutzplan2050.de/handlungsfelder
Source: PM BMUB No. 280/16 from 14 November 2016
Keywords:
Stock, DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, Mobility, New books and studies, Quarters, Settlements, Environmental policy, Housing policy, XXL settlements
The Paris Climate Agreement has given renewable energies and energy efficiency a global tailwind. The Climate Protection Index 2017 presented today by Germanwatch shows a stable upward trend. Overall, however, the global energy transition is still proceeding too slowly to make its contribution to the Paris climate goals, warns the environment and development organisation Germanwatch. The election of Donald Trump as US president could slow down or even slow down the necessary transformation in the USA.
Overall, the twelfth edition of the Climate Protection Index gives cause for cautious optimism: "The conditions for a global energy transition have never been better than at present. This is mainly due to the further decreasing costs of renewable energies and efficiency technologies," says Jan Burck of Germanwatch, lead author of the Index. "Investments in fossil energies are becoming increasingly risky. There are no longer any understandable excuses for governments to hesitate in implementing the Paris climate agreement. Some states have recognised this, others have not yet caught up."
To the Climate Protection Index:
The Climate Protection Index (currently the twelfth edition in a row) was developed as an instrument for more transparency and comparability in international climate policy. Based on standardised criteria, the index evaluates and compares the climate protection performance of 58 countries, which together are responsible for more than 90% of energy-related emissions worldwide. The first three places have remained vacant every year so far, as no country is doing enough to prevent dangerous climate change. Denmark was on the verge of becoming the first country to break into the top 3. This was prevented by the recent shift to a much less ambitious climate policy (More on methods and calculation in the brochure "The Climate Change Performance Index - Background and Methodology").
Climate Protection Index 2017 (in English, summary in German as well as maps and graphics): https://germanwatch.org/ksi
Keywords:
DE-News, Renewable, Climate protection, UN (United Nations), Environmental policy
The energy transition in the building sector has stalled. Less and less is being invested in energy-efficient refurbishment and the Paris climate protection targets are in jeopardy. The reason for this is inadequate advice and the uncertainty of many consumers on the one hand, as well as inadequate government regulations and poorly managed subsidies on the other. For almost two years now, the Building Alliance, an association of environmental and consumer organisations with energy consultants, tradesmen, trade unions, the building industry, architects' associations and the construction industry, has been positioning itself against this. Under the leadership of the Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union (NABU), numerous natureplus members such as BUND, BAUM e.V. and IG Bau are also working together in favour of more climate protection in the building sector.
In a recent statement, the Building Alliance calls on a new German government to "make the neglected third of the energy transition in the building sector an integral part of an integrated climate protection and energy policy". So far, politicians have "missed the opportunity to make energy-efficient building refurbishment the largest value creation and value retention programme in Germany and thus a real job engine for the domestic economy", criticises Jörg-Andreas Krüger, Deputy Federal Managing Director of NABU. Residential and non-residential buildings must now be addressed more strongly and more specifically than before by the three pillars of "information and advice", "support" and "demand".
A "lack of prioritisation and reliability" has unsettled investors, homeowners, tradespeople and businesses. In order to create reliability, "more transparency is needed in the assessment of buildings" through a standardised, optimised energy performance certificate. In addition, "high-quality, quality-assured advice from trained experts" in accordance with national standards is needed. Politicians must "set the course for reliable and permanent funding for high-quality consulting services and refurbishment measures". The refurbishment costs should be "shared equally between the state, landlords and tenants". At the same time, however, "new, market-based incentives are needed to mobilise additional investment and provide smart incentives", concludes NABU.
Source: Building alliance: advancing building refurbishment
Keywords:
Stock, DE-News, Environmental policy, Housing, Housing policy
