150 concrete proposals are contained in a catalogue that the city of Bonn has compiled in recent months following the declaration of a climate emergency. Many of the measures can be implemented directly by the administration, for others it needs 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, the Bonn City Council had decided to support a resolution declaring a climate emergency. In doing so, Bonn joined other municipalities in affirming that climate protection must have the highest priority in municipal action. The administration has therefore developed a catalogue of measures in recent months with the participation of all departments.
Mayor Ashok Sridharan: "The declaration of a climate emergency must now be quickly followed by action! We have therefore deliberately chosen an approach that enables us to take direct action: The city administration can implement many of the developed measures directly and thus make an additional contribution to climate protection and climate adaptation itself. However, it must also be clear to all of us: The catalogue of measures does not yet provide an answer to how the city of Bonn can become climate neutral by 2035! There is still a lot of work ahead of us here."
The Lord Mayor announced that the role of the Environmental Office would be strengthened within the administration with the Climate Protection Control Centre. The environmental office is to receive more staff and be even more involved in decisions relevant to climate protection.
The proposal for the catalogue of measures is to be discussed in the first reading in the Council on 6 February and then referred to the Environment Committee on 12 March. In the meantime, the Bonn Climate Protection Advisory Council will also be involved in an advisory capacity.
The draft resolution on the "climate emergency" also contains proposals from the Council mandate "Implementation of climate measures". In accordance with the mandate, they are based on the projects of the Integrated Climate Protection and Climate Adaptation Concept from 2013 that have not yet been implemented.
As far as possible at this point in time, the ideas are provided with costs and the possible CO2 savings. Financial incentives for climate-friendly actions are an important instrument in the entire portfolio of measures. For example, those who do not use disposable materials at events or want to install a PV system on their building or green the roof and façade should receive more support.
According to the administration's proposal, five million euros should be included in the 2021/2022 double budget as start-up financing for the projects described. This will enable some measures that have already been designed to be implemented immediately. For others, in-depth planning can be financed from this budget and the investment funds required for implementation can be assessed. These funds must be taken into account in the coming municipal budgets.
City Planning Officer Helmut Wiesner: "Climate protection has a history in Bonn since 1995. We can therefore build on the experience of 25 years and the established structures to face the increasing challenges of climate change. The action-oriented proposals for measures in response to the declaration of a climate emergency build on this." In total, the current programme comprises around 150 individual projects, which can be assigned to the following six fields of action.
Solar Bonn
Photovoltaics in Bonn is to be further expanded. The solar roof cadastre in Bonn already provides orientation for homeowners as to whether their own building is suitable for the installation of a PV system. Based on this, the city would like to start an advisory service to accompany interested parties from the initial information to the installation of the system. In addition, the "1000 Roofs Program" is to be launched as a subsidy program with a grant of 1000 euros per subsidized PV system.
In addition, where the city can exert influence, the installation of PV systems is to become mandatory for developers, for example in the case of new buildings within the framework of project-related development plans, development measures and the sale of municipal land. Following the example of the city of Tübingen, developers should have to prove that the installation of a PV system is uneconomical in order to be exempted from the obligation.
The city itself wants to set a good example and continue to systematically capture the great potential of its own buildings. For new municipal buildings, the installation of photovoltaic systems is generally prepared and - if possible - implemented in cooperation with the municipal utilities or energy cooperatives. There are currently 63 systems on municipal buildings. PV systems with an output of 172,000 kilowatt hours per year (kWh/a) were already installed on the sewage treatment plants in Duisdorf and on Salierweg in 2009 and 2016. A system with an output of 75,000 kWh/a is currently being implemented at the Bad Godesberg sewage treatment plant.
Climate-friendly building and living
A forum with regular events for players in the housing and construction industry is to expand and institutionalise experience in the field of climate protection and energy efficiency. A municipal campaign on the subject of environmentally compatible building materials is to specifically address planners, architects and building owners. The Bonn Energy Agency (BEA) already provides advice and public relations work on energy-efficient construction and renovation and recommends energy-efficiency partners, for example, who can provide support for renovation or new construction.
The KfW-55 standard for new municipal buildings is currently already subject to very high energy efficiency standards that exceed the legal requirements. These standards also apply to project-related development plans, urban development contracts and development measures, as well as to the sale of municipal land. For its buildings, the city also wants to examine whether certified sustainability standards (e.g. DGNB certification system) can be applied in principle for renovations and new buildings.
Sustainable Federal City of Bonn
The administration will develop a concept on how the City of Bonn, including the municipal subsidiaries Bonnorange and Stadtwerke, can become climate neutral by 2035. For this, the emission of greenhouse gases must be drastically reduced and suitable compensation possibilities must be created.
One thing is certain: In future, business trips are to be organised in a more climate-friendly way. Public transport has clear priority; air travel - especially within Germany - is to be avoided. The job ticket is to be made cheaper, and the city's fleet of e-vehicles is to be continuously expanded. The procurement of office equipment and uniforms is to be carried out according to climate and resource-friendly criteria. The city administration has also been using recycled paper for many years and has already received ten awards for this as one of the most recycling-friendly cities in Germany.
Urban development projects
The state of North Rhine-Westphalia approved the extensive "Emission-free city centre" funding project in November 2019. Over the next three years, cycle lanes will be expanded and mobile stations will be built in the city centre, which will spatially link various transport services such as public transport, car-sharing and cycle hire and thus make it easier to switch between modes of transport. In addition, further e-charging stations and bicycle parking garages are planned.
As part of the "Lead City" model project, the "Jobwärts" programme is currently establishing a company mobility management system for employers in the region.
Campaigns and communication
Organizers who focus on sustainability are to receive financial incentives - for example, for the purchase of green electricity or the reduction of disposable plastic. At its own major events, such as Pützchens Markt or the Christmas market, the city wants to set a good example.
Various actions are also intended to trigger a rethink among the population: Proposals include a car-free day and artistic productions that draw attention to the progressing climate change. The city's climate protection campaign "Think new, act simple" is to be expanded and campaigns such as city cycling are to be continued. As part of "Bio-Stadt Bonn", the city has been emphasising the topics of nutrition and organic farming since 2019.
Climate adaptation
In order to prepare as well as possible for the unavoidable consequences of climate change, precautions must be taken now. "Mobile green rooms" with vertical greenery and a leafy roof are to provide more quality of stay in the city centre on hot days. In addition, financial incentives and advice are to be offered to citizens who want to green their roofs and facades or sealed surfaces.
The climate analysis developed within the framework of the ZURES project and the planning information map based on it serve as an important basis in this context and provide information on how the increasing heat load can be countered with urban planning measures.
Source: Press release City of Bonn, 22.01.2020
Keywords:
Bonn, DE-News, Climate emergency, Climate protection, Communities, New books and studies, News Blog NRW, SDG 2030
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