Jena gets a climate protection coordinator

Jena now has a climate protection coordinator. Kevin Muschalle took up this newly created position on March 1, 2020.

Mayor Christian Gerlitz comments as follows: "I am convinced that it was an important building block for more municipal climate protection when the city council created the opportunity to permanently establish this important coordination office last fall with the resolution on the climate crisis. Not only does this mean that the Department of Urban Development and Environment now has more human resources available for climate protection tasks, but for the first time there is also a central point of contact for all local stakeholders."

"I am very much looking forward to the tasks ahead. Jena has been committed to climate protection for a long time and has achieved many successes. However, further efforts are still required to achieve the climate protection targets. As Climate Protection Coordinator, I see myself as a link between civil society, local politics and the city administration in order to drive forward municipal climate protection activities," says Kevin Muschalle.

The Climate Protection Coordinator is also responsible for the acquisition of funding, the initiation and implementation of climate protection measures and public relations work in the field of municipal climate protection.

"Kevin Muschalle is an excellent fit for these tasks. In addition, he has already overseen important initiatives such as the 'Energy & Climate Protection Mission Statement' in recent years. We also need to step up our efforts in the area of climate protection at municipal level, which is why Kevin Muschalle can be sure of my backing," assures Mayor Gerlitz.

Local authorities have a special role to play in climate protection. A large proportion of climate-relevant emissions are generated in cities. The major challenge in Jena is to make a contribution to climate protection despite growth. Current projects, such as the updating of the "Energy & Climate Protection Mission Statement of the City of Jena", the development of a "Climate Check for City Council Decisions" and the development of the "Sustainability Strategy of the City of Jena" are intended to contribute to this.