Ready4NetZero Webseminar: How Can We Engage Citizens for Climate Neutrality?

EUKI project Ready4NetZero is hosting the third webseminar of its capacity building series which focuses on community engagement in climate action, as this participatory approach has been shown to help build trust, inclusion and ownership in the pursuit of zero emission solutions. The webseminar will take place on 9 January 2024 from 10:00-11:30 am CET.

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Location

Online

Label
Project Event
Date

09 January 2024

The theme of the webseminar focuses on community engagement in climate action, as this participatory approach has been shown to help build trust, inclusion and ownership in the pursuit of zero emission solutions. There is a strong need for such a debate as many municipalities face difficulties in engaging citizens and participatory planning, as well as in meeting expectations for integrating public feedback into local strategies and measures. Invited experts from German municipalities will present ways to integrate participatory elements into the development and implementation of long-term climate neutrality strategies.

This webseminar is the 3rd in a series of 6 similar events, all part of the Ready4NetZero project. The capacity building programme is aimed at public officials in the Ready4NetZero pilot cities, as well as other local authorities or stakeholders in Croatia, Hungary, Poland or Romania. During the project, country-specific workshops, online training of trainers events and study visits to Germany will be organised for a transfer of best practices and exchange of experience between local public administrations converging in the development and implementation of long-term local climate strategies.


 

Agenda and Key Topics

The event will be divided into two main parts: presentations of experiences by invited experts and time for questions and discussion of the topic.

Experts from three German municipalities will show how participatory elements can be integrated into the development and implementation of long-term climate neutrality strategies. Our guests will share their experiences, highlighting both the challenges and successes of engaging citizens on the path to a carbon-neutral future.

  • Andreas Witte studied public management, law and economics in Hanover, Osnabrueck and Brunswick. He is the spokesman of the interdisciplinary team for climate and energy in the strategic planning department of the district of Osnabrueck, which he built up since 2008. He has extensive experience in the entire field of municipal climate protection activities, which encompasses not only technical aspects, but also, notably, the involvement of the public.
  • Wilhelm Schulz is Climate Protection Manager in the Ahrweiler district, responsible for designing and overseeing the implementation of specific measures to reduce public and private GHG emissions and adapt to climate changes. The near-total devastation of the Ahr valley in 2021 impacted his work significantly, as it focuses on supporting efforts in sustainable reconstruction, while still managing emission reduction in the rest of the district. Previously, he worked on European climate, security and tech policy for a Brussels-based NGO, before returning to his hometown after witnessing the 2021 flood in Ahrweiler. Wilhelm Schulz has studies political sciences in Berlin at Freie Universität and the Hertie School of Governance.
  • Thomas Weiß has been Climate Protection Manager in the town of Kempten since 2012. His prior experience includes a key role in sustainability management at an organic brewery in his hometown of Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, beginning in 2003. Educated in Biology and Chemistry at the University of New Mexico and Environmental Sciences in Virginia USA, he has been instrumental in coordinating climate protection measures for Kempten, both within the municipal administration and the broader community for the last decade.

 

Language

The debate and whole event will be held in English with simultaneous translation into Croatian, Hungarian, Polish and Romanian.


 

Registration

The Zoom link will be sent to participants after registration, which can be done until 08.01.2024 by filling in this form.


 

Ready4NetZero is a project funded by EUKI and coordinated by the Polish network “ENERGIE CITÉS”, with a consortium of the Ecological Institute in Germany, ENERGIAKLUB in Hungary, REGEA in Croatia and OER Energy Cities in Romania. Ready4NetZero aims to support cities in participating countries in the development and implementation of climate neutrality strategies for 2050 and aims to do so by building capacity, knowledge and skills among local leaders, municipal staff and local stakeholders, facilitating exchange of experience and dialogue between local authorities.

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