Public presentation of the Jena Climate Action Plan

On Thursday, February 9, the city administration of Jena will present the Climate Action Plan at a public event. All citizens of the city of Jena are invited to learn more about the Climate Action Plan, which is to be adopted by the city council in February.

Mayor Christian Gerlitz: "The energy-sapping crises of recent years must not blind us to the fact that the climate crisis remains a key challenge for our entire society. It is therefore also important that the city of Jena is able to present a climate action plan now. Early action is the order of the day: the later measures are taken, the more drastic they will have to be in order to achieve our climate targets. I therefore hope that the City Council's resolution will allow us to start implementation as soon as possible."

In December 2021, the city of Jena, together with target GmbH, but also with many local stakeholders and the citizens of Jena, began to develop the so-called Climate Action Plan. The aim of this 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 city council has tasked the administration with demonstrating how the city can become climate neutral by 2035. This is exactly what the climate action plan does and at the same time makes it clear in which areas our hands are tied as a city," adds Mayor Christian Gerlitz.

In addition to an analysis of the current situation, a so-called energy and greenhouse gas balance, the Climate Action Plan shows in a climate neutrality scenario what savings can be expected by 2035. The prerequisite is that the climate protection measures proposed in the action plan are implemented. A total of 73 projects from 7 different subject areas are planned for this.

Kevin Muschalle-Momberg, Climate Protection Coordinator for the city of Jena, explains: "Climate protection at city level will play a more important role in the coming years than in the past. With the public presentation of the Climate Action Plan, we want to inform the citizens of Jena at an early stage about the possible path to climate neutrality".

The Climate Action Plan, which has now been completed, will be discussed by the Committee for Urban Development, Environment, Climate Protection and Sustainability and the Finance Committee on February 9. Finally, the Jena City Council will discuss the concept paper on February 22. Jena City Council would like to inform citizens about the action plan and answer questions before the committee meeting.

The public event will take place on February 9, 2023 at 5 p.m. in the historic town hall. An overview of the measures in the climate action plan can be found here: https://sessionnet.jena.de/sessionnet/buergerinfo/vo0050.php?__kvonr=12947(link is external)

The Climate and Environment Round Table will also offer the city council groups and members of the municipal advisory boards the opportunity to find out more about the measures in the Climate Action Plan at a non-public event on January 31, 2023.