How cities are dealing with climate change
Municipalities play a key role in protecting the climate Find out what cities and communities are doing and how they are working with partners around the world.
From deploying new fleets of electric buses, building cycle routes, renovating buildings and switching to renewable electricity, to planting more trees and creating green spaces, municipalities can do a lot to help protect the climate. Many towns, cities and villages in Germany are already working hard towards this goal, and some are involved in partnerships with other cities around the world.
Municipalities: key players in climate protection
Through the 2008 National Climate Protection Initiative, the Federal Government provides targeted support for municipalities with initiatives such as building bike stations, helping households save electricity, and running week-long projects in schools. In the period between 2008 and 2022, over 45,000 projects received funding worth over €1.5 billion. The funding aims to help Germany transition to become a climate-neutral industrial country by 2045.
Climate action has long been a top priority for political leaders in Germany’s towns, cities and villages. According to a 2023 survey by the German Institute of Urban Affairs, 59% of mayors said that climate protection would become even more important in future. It was rated as the single most important issue for the future.
Promoting climate protection through international partnerships
Learning from one another and helping others is a key element in municipal climate partnerships, so municipalities in Germany are entering into partnerships with cities and communities in Africa and Latin America. Eltville is a wine-growing town in Hesse. It is working with Tunuyán in Argentina to develop irrigation methods, as although the two municipalities are in very different climates, they both face the effects of longer periods of very low rainfall.
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Open consent formThe global C40 Network is also bringing together the mayors of leading cities to work together to deal with the climate crisis. Berlin and Heidelberg in Germany are part of the network, which also includes Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, and Mumbai in India.
