Climate action plan is discussed in the city council

On 22.03.2023, the City of Jena's Climate Action Plan will be on the City Council's agenda. A one-and-a-half-year development process, which was initiated by civil society engagement, is coming to an end.

The aim of the climate action plan is to show what measures Jena can take to become climate-neutral, what costs will be incurred by the city and how much manpower will be required. The foundation for this was laid by the city council resolution "Jena climate-neutral by 2035", which was passed on July 14, 2021. The concept contains an energy and greenhouse gas balance and shows in a climate neutrality scenario what savings could be expected by 2035. The prerequisite is that the climate protection measuresproposed in the action plan are implemented. A total of 73 projects from 7 different subject areas are planned for this.

Lord Mayor Dr. Thomas Nitzsche: "The city administration is presenting the Climate Action Plan to the city council next Wednesday and is hoping for the same broad approval as there was in 2021 when the city council commissioned us to draw up the Climate Action Plan. We now have the opportunity to set the decisive course for a climate-friendly development of the city of Jena."

Balanced concept

The measures contained in the Climate Action Plan cover seven areas: Buildings & Neighborhoods, Businesses, Administration, Mobility, Energy Supply, Lifestyles and Strategic Measures.

"The concept is balanced across all sectors and is geared towards what is possible. The measures were developed in a participatory process with the climate initiatives as well as internal and external experts and discussed in public. Particularly in light of the new warnings from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, I very much hope that there will be political acceptance in Jena for implementing the climate action plan now," says Mayor Christian Gerlitz.

"The Climate Action Plan is economically balanced and key immediate measures have already been included in the 2023/2024 double budget. Of course, high investment costs will be incurred in the course of achieving the climate targets, but implementation will avoid even higher follow-up costs due to climate damage. Early action is therefore advisable in every respect," says Benjamin Koppe, Head of Finance and Security.

Eberhard Hertzsch, Head of Family, Education and Social Affairs, adds: "Climate protection is a task for society as a whole. It starts with teaching children a healthy and sustainable lifestyle in nurseries and schools and ends with ensuring that senior citizens are adequately protected from the increasingly frequent phenomena of climate change, such as severe heatwaves."

Maintaining the local quality of life

According to the climate action plan, the city administration itself should, among other things, expand its operational mobility management in a more climate-friendly way, install photovoltaic (PV) systems on municipal buildings, intensify the conversion of its own vehicle fleet and cover the city's own parking lots with PV carports.

The area with the greatest savings potential is energy supply. Here, a whole bundle of measures is intended to put the city of Jena on the path to climate neutrality. In addition to the implementation of a PV offensive through a solar marketing concept, a municipal heating plan is to be developed that will form the strategic basis for decarbonizing the heating supply. The expansion of the district heating network is one of the proposed projects, as is the use of the potential for heat generation via Saale river thermal energy as a renewable energy source. Furthermore, according to the Climate Action Plan, the expansion and adaptation of the electricity infrastructure as well as the implementation of open-space PV systems covering around 36 hectares and 10 wind turbines of 3 megawatts each are required in order to achieve decarbonization in the energy supply sector. Due to the limited amount of land available, cooperation with the surrounding area should be expressly encouraged.

By implementing the climate action plan, the city of Jena wants to make its contribution to limiting the climate crisis, adds Mayor Christian Gerlitz: "Our top priority is to maintain the quality of life here in Jena. The last few years have shown us the drastic effects the climate crisis is having. Of course, as a municipality, we also bear some responsibility here and want to live up to it."