One year after the City of Bonn's council resolution, the city administration is taking stock and emphasizing the challenge. "Bonn should be climate-neutral in eleven years. This is a major task that we can only accomplish together. To achieve this, the city's subsidiaries must work closely together and all Bonn residents must join in. This is how we can achieve our goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035," confirmed Mayor Katja Dörner at a press conference on Thursday, April 18, 2024. The climate plan consists of the overall strategy for the path to climate neutrality in Bonn as well as the "Climate Protection Work Programme" with almost 70 activities that the city wants to implement by the end of 2025. This makes it the roadmap on the joint path to climate neutrality in Bonn by 2035.
Two thirds of the work program being implemented
Since the target was set a year ago, the city administration has significantly intensified the implementation of climate protection measures. Since then, 23 additional people have been recruited to work on climate protection in various areas of the city administration.
The people of Bonn are also making an ever greater contribution to climate protection in Bonn. This is shown, for example, by the enormous increase in the expansion of photovoltaics. "You can feel that climate protection is particularly important to citizens. Thousands of private individuals commissioned new photovoltaic systems at their homes last year," said the Mayor of Bonn. In 2023, the expansion of solar energy tripled. In 2022, 5,400 kilowatts peak were connected to the grid in Bonn and in 2023 a total of 16,800 kilowatts peak were added. "This achievement by the people of Bonn is impressive and also a great success for our municipal solar promotion program."
Two thirds of the activities from the administration's work program are already being implemented. In turn, urban society, such as sports clubs, is benefiting from the climate protection measures. In 2024, an additional 100,000 euros in sports funding will be available for member clubs of the city sports association for measures in the area of climate protection and sustainability, e.g. for the replacement of energy-efficient electrical appliances or the purchase of sustainable sports equipment. The Bonn Energy Agency will be significantly expanded in order to offer additional on-site advice in all city districts. The switch to smart heating thermostats for tenants is expected to start in the second half of the year. In addition, people in Bonn can continue to apply for subsidies for photovoltaic systems.
Recommendations from the urban community integrated into the work program
Numerous political resolutions and recommendations from the "Bonn4Future - We for the climate" participatory process have been incorporated into the Climate Action Work Program in 2023. Some ideas from the participatory process have already been implemented. These include the "Bonn Climate Compass", a digital dashboard that displays local climate indicators in graphs and diagrams on the website www.bonn.de/klima (opens in a new tab). The city's climate website was recently redesigned with extensive information and examples, and a short brochure and an information video on the climate plan are also available. In this way, the city is contributing to the transparent presentation of information.
Municipal heat planning together with Stadtwerke Bonn
Together with its subsidiaries, the City of Bonn has an influence on around 40 percent of the city's total greenhouse gas emissions. The study "Climate Neutral City of Bonn Group" provides the city's own companies with a concrete catalog of measures to achieve greenhouse gas neutrality. Stadtwerke Bonn (SWB) plays a decisive role in climate protection because it is the largest CO2 emitter in the city in the areas of energy and water, bus and rail as well as waste recycling.
Olaf Hermes, Chairman of the SWB Management Board, provided information on the company's diverse activities: "In the SWB Group, we are setting the course towards CO2 neutrality in all companies. Municipal heat planning will help to reduce Bonn's CO2 emissions. We are planning to build a waste-to-energy plant at the current waste incineration plant site to make waste recycling even more effective. By the middle of the year, we will commission a new hydrogen-capable turbine in our modernized waste-to-energy plant. We are also pressing ahead with the use of a river water heat pump and investing in the charging infrastructure, the electrification of vehicles and the attractiveness of public transport as a whole."
In February 2024, the city of Bonn commissioned municipal heating planning. Interim results on heat supply areas are expected this fall. The final heating plan should be ready in the first quarter of 2025. The heating plan will provide citizens with guidance on how climate-neutral heating can be achieved in the future.
Participating in climate protection = climate district
The city administration has presented a comprehensive concept for participation in climate protection to the political committees. The aim is to find sustainable and innovative solutions for climate protection together with local people. Among other things, the city is focusing on events, networking, advice and financial support. Solidarity and cohesion in the neighborhood are also to be strengthened in the climate districts. All Bonn residents are invited to get involved (contact: klimaviertelbonnde
Climate protection must become a mandatory municipal task
In order for Bonn to become climate-neutral by 2035, the city also needs support and backing from the federal and state governments. Mayor Katja Dörner comments: "The municipalities in Germany are making decisive contributions to climate protection." With its municipal heating planning, for example, the city of Bonn is rapidly launching an important planning instrument for the heating transition. Many cities have set themselves ambitious climate protection targets and also want to become climate-neutral quickly. The Mayor of Bonn continued: "Climate protection must become a mandatory municipal task. As Vice President of the Association of German Cities, I am committed to this."
Greenhouse gas balance underlines the need for action
The current greenhouse gas balancing shows a reduction of around 31% for 2021 compared to the first year of balancing, 1990. After a significant pandemic-related decline for 2020, the emission values for 2021 are roughly at the same level as 2019. The figures illustrate the need for a city-wide strategy, such as the Bonn Climate Plan adopted in 2023, to achieve climate neutrality. Due to the delayed availability of data, the effectiveness of current climate protection measures can only be mapped in subsequent years.
All information on the Internet
The city administration has compiled a comprehensive range of information on the city's website at www.bonn.de/klima (opens in a new tab).