Project details

With a view to climate change observation, the tasks of climate protection and adaption are vital for safeguarding the future and constitute obvious challenges for all international, state and sub-state levels. In line with that, the German federal government has set the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions in Germany by 40% by the year 2020, by 55% by the year 2030, by 70% by the year 2040, and by 80 to 95% – i.e. to a level below that of 1990 – by the year 2050.

In order to reach these targets, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) promotes the efforts of municipalities through a support programme providing funds for the elaboration and implementation of climate protection concepts.

The Rheingau association of communes (Zweckverband Rheingau), encompassing seven cities as well as the municipalities of Eltville, Geisenheim, Kiedrich, Lorch, Oestrich-Winkel, Rüdesheim and Walluf has successfully applied for funds to be used for the elaboration of a climate protection concept. The region follows the objectives of a significant reduction of CO2 emissions by the years 2015 and 2030, of an increased energy efficiency, and particularly of an intensified use of renewable energies. Since March 2012, the IfLS in cooperation with the Institute for Housing and Environment (Institut Wohnen und Umwelt GmbH – IWU) has been commissioned to develop an integrated climate protection concept for the above-named region.

The climate protection concept serves as a strategic basis of decision-making and planning with regard to future efforts related to climate protection and measures supporting the adaption to climate change. The concept demonstrates the technical and economic potentials of CO2 reduction to communal and other decision-makers and indicates the measures available in order to save CO2 emissions and reduce energy consumption in the short, medium and long term. At the same time, the concept sets targets regarding the reduction of CO2 emissions and details how the achievement of objectives can be monitored.

The elaboration of the integrated climate protection concept for the Rheingau association of communes encompasses the following tasks:

• measuring communal CO2 emissions, allowing for climate protection measures already implemented,
• elaborating a concept for the information and participation of the public in the elaboration of the action plan,
• documentation of agreed and fixed-term measures,
• evaluation of the development of emissions in terms of measures implemented, including information to the public and – if need be – revision of the action plan.

The integrated climate protection concept for the Rheingau region is planned to be completed by the beginning of 2013.