“That’s an ambitious, but feasible goal!”
Düsseldorf is on the path to carbon neutrality in 2035. In this interview, Thomas Loosen, head of Düsseldorf‘s Office for Environmental and Consumer Protection, explains how the city is specifically committed to this and how companies and citizens can make their contribution.
The CO2 balance is the benchmark on the way to carbon neutrality. What does the carbon footprint tell us exactly?
The CO2 balance is drawn up throughout Germany according to a specific model and, as in every other city, this model is applied in Düsseldorf according to the territorial principle, i.e. only the energy consumption data that can be attributed to the city area are balanced. For example, we use our regularly updated traffic model to model the vehicle kilometres actually driven in the Düsseldorf city area, i.e. locals as well as commuters and people travelling through. The resulting greenhouse gas emissions are then determined with the help of other factors such as vehicle type and road type. The urban CO2 emissions are thus calculated. Air pollutants, particulate matter or ozone are measured, for example - but not CO2! The balance is a calculated breakdown and approximation that makes the issue more tangible and provides a good orientation.
As a city administration, how much influence can you have upon the balance?
Various parties have an influence on the CO2 balance: the EU, the federal government, the state of NRW and the municipality. The decisions of the federal government, for example - such as the extension of lignite mining or the abolition of combustion cars - have a direct influence on us. As a municipality, we are therefore pursuing a goal that we cannot shape one hundred percent ourselves. However, we can create important incentives and we can set a good example ourselves.
“We have to try to reconcile the economic, ecological and social aspects.”
Thomas Loosen, Head of Düsseldorf’s Office for Environmental and Consumer Protection
And how do you lead by example specifically?
For example, as a city, we have been using only green electricity fed from active renewable energy plants since 2020. As the largest employer in Düsseldorf, we maintain approximately 2,000 buildings throughout the city - and these are now being successively renovated or demolished and newly built. On Moskauer Straße, an ecological 110-metre tower for 3,000 employees is being built according to the strictest specifications of the German Sustainable Building Council and aspects of Cradle to Cradle. The new buildings may be heated either only with renewable energies or with district heating - the latter is quite environmentally friendly in Düsseldorf due to the new gas and steam turbine power plant. All suitable existing buildings in the city will be retrofitted with solar systems on the roofs. When we have installed it on all roofs, we want to be about 50 percent self-sufficient in electricity.
In terms of climate protection, what incentives and support do you offer to the local economy?
We have some strong programmes and initiatives in place. Ökoprofit®, for example, has been helping local businesses to operate sustainably and resource-efficiently since 2008. With the help of the Düsseldorf Mobility Partnership, companies can make their own mobility more environmentally friendly. And now, we are launching the Climate Pact.
All suitable existing buildings in the city will be retrofitted with solar systems on their roofs.
What do you offer citizens for their climate commitment?
We have launched one of the largest funding programme for citizens in NRW. With “climate-friendly living and working” we can distribute 6 million euros a year, compared to about 2 million a year in the past. We continuously adapt the content to the market situation: In the past, we supported combined heat and power plants, but now we support heat pumps, district heating and solar thermal energy. Our cargo bike programme in 2021 was very well received: when we provided 2,500 euros subsidy per bike, our subsidy budget of 2 million euros was used up within 2 weeks! We also do a lot in education, starting with the youngest children. Through the “Education for Sustainable Development” campaign, for example, schools can book programmes offered by the city - and this is very popular. And when children and young people learn how to act in a more climate-friendly way, this in turn has an influence on the adults around them.
Which research areas are you working on in terms of climate protection and adaptation?
Together with the city of Duisburg, the Stadtwerke Duisburg and the Fraunhofer Institute IEG, we are currently researching the possibilities of deep geothermal energy in the north of Düsseldorf. We had a joint project with Wuppertal and the Rhine district of Neuss with the idea of generating hydrogen at waste-fired power plants, waste incineration plants and written off wind power plants in order to use that for municipal infrastructure. This gave rise to the hydrogen model region, in which we network municipalities, companies, producers and transporters. There are also some exciting scientific projects and studies on climate adaptation, where, for example, temperatures are measured or the suitability of certain plants for urban vegetation is examined.
What do we have to do to achieve carbon neutrality in Düsseldorf by 2035?
We have to try to reconcile the economic, ecological and social aspects. We have to get everyone on board and convince them - and keep things in sync. There is no magic formula. The last few metres are often the most difficult ones, but we are on the right track. Carbon neutrality by 2035 - that is an ambitious, but entirely feasible goal! •
Words Tom Corrinth
Pictures Amt für Umwelt- und Verbraucherschutz, Düsseldorf