"What still has to happen?": Greens want climate protection managers - majority rejects position
Created: 01/12/2023 07:14
By: Laura May
The debate about appropriate measures is sweeping through the district like a hurricane.
© IMAGO/Jochen Tack
The factions often agree that quick measures against climate change are needed.
The adjustment screws, schedules and responsibility are still being debated - as a debate in Aschheim shows.
Aschheim - "What else has to happen for the signs of the times to be recognized in the Aschheim municipal council?" asks Walter Wiedenhofer (spokesman for the Greens).
He is disappointed about the rejection of a new position for climate protection in Aschheim.
Only the Greens and SPD voted in favor of the motion, while Free Voters and CSU rejected the motion with a large majority in the municipal council.
Wiedenhofer's faction has been calling for a climate protection manager for Aschheim since 2021 with the local group of the Bund Naturschutz (AFK).
According to Wiedenhofer, the agency can make climate protection at the local level “much more effective and effective more quickly”.
"A lot is being done in Aschheim for climate protection."
In his opinion, nothing has happened in Aschheim since geothermal energy and open-space photovoltaic systems were commissioned around ten years ago in large-scale energy transition projects.
Only smaller projects such as the conversion to LED, car sharing or the promotion of private energy measures have been implemented.
CSU and Free Voters see it differently.
"The municipality of Aschheim has a climate protection concept and is very active in implementing appropriate measures," explains FW spokeswoman Sabine Freser-Specht.
And Florian Meier, deputy parliamentary group leader of the CSU, says: "A lot is being done in Aschheim for climate protection." Above all, the areas of electricity and heat requirements as well as transport are used to reduce greenhouse gases.
The idea behind the federal funding
Climate protection managers should help municipalities with the expansion of cycle paths, the renewal of street lighting or the energetic renovation of municipal buildings.
Most of the positions are funded, so municipalities do not incur high personnel costs, that is the idea behind the concept.
Nevertheless, there is a debate in the communities as to whether this extra post at the community level makes sense or whether climate change is a problem at a higher level anyway.
The federal government specifies the following points on its website as areas of responsibility for municipal climate protection managers:
• Climate protection managers draw up a climate protection concept.
• You implement the climate protection concept and assume control and coordination of climate protection activities.
• Climate protection managers check whether goals are being achieved, they evaluate the measures and processes and constantly improve procedures and instruments.
• You network the local climate protection actors to promote the exchange of information and experience.
• Climate protection managers integrate the municipality into larger networks in order to promote the exchange with external climate protection actors such as environmental organizations, other municipalities, supra-regional energy networks, etc. and thus receive suggestions for their own climate protection activities and processes.
• You are responsible for the presentation and communication of climate protection activities.
• Climate protection managers also submit further funding applications.
Source: teamklimaschutz.de
At the municipal level, funds are limited, and Meier sees the energy policy of the current and previous federal government as the main problem.
The topic of climate protection seeps away again and again in the struggle for responsibilities between federal, state and local authorities.
What is the right way is therefore often the subject of hours of debate within the committees.
In Aschheimer personnel questions about a possible climate manager, the positions of the fractions diverge.
"The community has sufficient staff," explains Sabine Freser-Specht.
Employees well trained in departments
Green spokesman Wiedenhofer doubts that. The two positions in the Aschheim environmental agency are currently being carried out by a former treasurer and an administrative clerk.
Meier, on the other hand, writes: "The two employees are well acquainted with their specialist areas." If necessary, one can also fall back on "external expertise".
In addition, the position plan does not provide for any additional power.
Wiedenhofer remains skeptical.
More has to happen for him - Aschheim needs more expertise and staff for this, a funded climate protection position is just right, Phillipp Schramek, former head of the climate initiative project "29++" in the district office, said in an interview with the Münchner Merkur in early 2022 : "In view of the great task and responsibility that the municipalities have in terms of climate protection, I think it is essential to get the appropriate expertise in the administration - especially since the personnel costs for a climate protection manager or a climate protection manager even over two years with up to 75 percent are state-funded.” Smaller municipalities could also share jobs or “borrow” a climate protection manager from the Ebersberg Munich Energy Agency.
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Climate protection managers in the municipalities
According to information from the district office, all municipalities in the district have one or more people who are dedicated to climate protection.
What exactly the individual communities are doing for climate protection, even apart from federal funding, can be read on the respective websites.
However, not all of them are labeled climate protection managers.
Climate protection manager positions are eligible and ideally only then bear the title climate protection manager.
"As far as we know, at least one position is currently occupied by a climate protection manager in the following municipalities," says the press office.
"We do not know whether these positions are also funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics."
•Brunnthal
•Baierbrunn
•Grasbrunn
•Hair
•Hoehenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn
• Hohenbrunn
•Neubiberg
•Planegg
•Pullach
• Putzbrunn
•Schäftlarn (place shared with Straßlach-Dingharting)
•Taufkirchen
The district office cannot guarantee completeness in this case, since hiring a climate protection manager is a purely municipal matter.
In addition, a lot is currently changing in this area.
lm