How Unterhaching wants to become climate-neutral by 2030

Created: 01/24/2022, 08:25

By: Martin Becker

Unterhaching wants to promote e-mobility in the municipal area and motivate combustion-oriented drivers to switch with educational campaigns.

© dpa (symbol image)

The municipality of Unterhaching has a new climate protection officer in Philipp Dürr.

He now presents the cornerstones of how the place can become climate-neutral by 2030.

Unterhaching

– The noble goal, proclaimed by the CSU parliamentary group leader Korbinian Rausch and taken up by the Unterhachinger municipal council in September 2021, is now waiting for concrete implementation: How can it be possible to achieve “climate neutrality” at community level by 2030?

The new climate protection officer in the town hall, Philipp Dürr, has now presented conceivable cornerstones to the building committee.

The unanimously agreed goal: By 2030, “all end-energy-based emissions occurring in the municipality of Unterhaching should be net zero”, according to the agreed “climate neutrality goal”.

Philipp Dürr already indicated how incredibly difficult and complex this topic is in his opening question: “When will climate neutrality actually be achieved?” He deliberately stretched the spectrum wide.

"Climate neutrality is a condition in which human activities have no net effect on the climate system as a result," he quoted the definition of the Federal Environment Agency.

However, this is not very helpful for a local balance sheet because it is too general.

Traffic is excluded

Example one: the traffic. Unterhaching is bordered by two autobahns – the extent to which e-cars or those with classic combustion engines have different loads there is not measurable for a municipality. Example two: private consumption and travel behavior. From barbecues in the garden to flights on vacation – these emissions could not be controlled either. Example three: the local trade. If it produces something and has to procure material for it, its delivery routes and previous type of production cannot be understood in terms of climate.

So, suggested Philipp Dürr, the municipality must define and calculate the goal of “climate neutrality 2030” differently.

Namely in the sense of greenhouse gas neutrality - and only measurable energy consumption comes into consideration for concrete monitoring, e.g. gas and electricity and water;

with privately delivered heating oil, on the other hand, it would be difficult.

Bringing these “final energy-based emissions” to “net zero” in private households, industry and municipalities by 2030 could be a pragmatic goal.

Otherwise, according to the new Unterhachinger climate expert, it is increasingly about measures such as public relations and environmental education.

In the case of traffic, counts can be carried out for a local balance sheet instead of transferring nationwide data to the municipality and “set goals regardless of emissions”.

"Replace the car with the bike"

Harald Nottmeyer (SPD) called Dürr's presentation "a good basis, we can orientate ourselves on this 'road map'". His party colleague, Mayor Wolfgang Panzer, found: "We can only achieve climate neutrality if everyone really participates - that's why the educational work is particularly important." It's "no longer about replacing the third car, but the first car with a bike". . More than ever, private households are asked to relieve the climate with their behavior. The community itself is already doing a lot – Panzer cited the schools as an example: “Of course they need a lot more electricity today than 30 years ago – back then there were chalkboards, today tablets and document cameras are used in the classroom.” Immediately generate electricity that they consume during the day.

The CSU parliamentary group leader, Korbinian Rausch, on whose initiative the municipal climate target up to 2030 is based, also saw “the great challenge in providing information to citizens and companies”.

He is realistic enough to know that "we will not achieve gross zero by 2030, but we can achieve net zero".

Too early for a compensation debate

Gross or net: That's exactly what Max Heiland (Greens) was aiming for. “We will not be retiring the last gas or oil heating system in 2030. So what are the opposite positions?” he wanted to know. Such measures to compensate for CO2 emissions are "green roofs or afforestation," explained Philipp Dürr. But he doesn't think much of putting the focus on compensatory effects right at the beginning of a process, "otherwise there is a risk of glossing over things". The mayor agreed with his climate protection manager: "I want us to take the path of action and not the path of calculation," said the mayor. Otherwise it would be a sham: "We can make Unterhaching climate-neutral very quickly by buying lots of certificates."

What is ultimately at stake, however, is something else.

"We need advertising for saving energy, not for spending energy," said Gertraud Schubert.

Beate Gsänger (Greens) formulated what was ultimately reflected in the building committee’s unanimous decision on the climate target: “We are all eager to take action.”