German Climate Governance Perspectives on North Rhine-Westphalia Implemented by Imprint ‘German Climate Governance – Perspectives on North Rhine-Westphalia’ was compiled in the framework of the Sino- German Climate Partnership and Cooperation on Renewable Energies Project which is implemented by GIZ on behalf of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). Additional support for the publication has come from the Sino-German Climate Change Programme, which is implemented by GIZ on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). 29 May, 2014 Contact Information Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Sunflower Tower 860 Maizidian Street 37, Chaoyang District, 100125 Beijing, PR China Ursula Becker Project Director Sino-German Climate Partnership E: [email protected] T: + 86 (0) 10 8527 5589 ext.101 Till Kötter Programme Manager Sino-German Climate Change Programme E: [email protected] T: + 86 (0) 10 8527 5589 ext.112 Andrew Park Programme Officer Sino-German Climate Change Programme E: [email protected] T: + 86 (0) 10 8527 5589 ext.121 Photo Credits Profile photos for the individual interviews have been provided by the interviewees themselves. Cover photos are copyright EnergieAgentur.NRW (under CC BY 2.0 License) Disclaimer The content of the individual interviews herein are provided for reference only, and are the views of the authors only, and are not necessarily endorsed by GIZ or other attributed entities. German Climate Governance Perspectives on North Rhine-Westphalia German Climate Governance German Climate Governance Preface Success stories from the provincial and city levels increasingly play a role in shaping the national mitigation strategies of China and Germany. In parallel, the achievement of national mitigation targets also depends on the effectiveness of local climate governance, including aspects such as the appropriate mix of policy instruments, the interplay of local institutions, financial and human resources, the monitoring of results, as well as on the support and cooperation with stakeholders from the business, science and civil society sectors. In 2013 North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany’s most populous state, industrial stronghold and economic powerhouse with close ties to the Chinese economy, became the first German state to establish a climate protection law with legally binding mitigation targets (2020: -25% from 1990 levels, 2050: - 80%). In order to reach these goals, NRW is, through the means of an innovative stakeholder process, currently working on a climate protection plan at the state level. The plan will serve as a governance roadmap for the state in aspects of climate change mitigation. Among other first incentives, a training programme for City Climate Protection Managers has been launched. The NRW plan aims not just at meeting its mitigation targets, but at realizing an economic transition and becoming a leading low carbon economic hub. At the national level, the Federal German Government has announced the Climate Protection Action Programme 2020. Aimed at strengthening various policy measures to facilitate the achievement of the country’s mitigation target for 2020 (-40% from 1990 levels), it will also prepare the development of a long term governance strategy for mitigation measures, the National Climate Protection Plan 2050. This short publication is an attempt to engage in a dialogue on the topic of climate governance. By the means of short interviews with various stakeholders from different administrative levels and with different fields of expertise, we hope to highlight some potential elements which can make for effective climate governance. By no means exhaustive, these interviews grew out of a dialogue which was started in December 2013 when, at the invitation of the NRW Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature and Consumer Protection, a high level delegation of the Chinese National Development and Reform Commission, led by Deputy Director General Sun Zhen and organised by GIZ, travelled to North Rhine-Westphalia for a series of meetings on the topic of climate governance and attended the NRW Climate Congress in Wuppertal. With the ending of the classic bilateral development cooperation approach with China in 2009, a paradigm shift towards international cooperation was initiated. In regards to China today, GIZ plays an important role as facilitator for the Federal German Government in the implementation of its bilateral strategic dialogues. Among others, the dialogue on climate governance - covering aspects of climate German Climate Governance mitigation, law, governance, capacity building and public participation - is an important pillar of Sino- German cooperation. With offices in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, as well as in China, more than 30 years of experience in bilateral cooperation with China, and our broad network world-wide, we offer demand-driven, tailor-made and effective services for sustainable development. It is hoped that this short publication serves to continue, and deepen, this ongoing dialogue in an area of great importance to both countries. Dr. Ute Schmitt Resident Country Director China GIZ General Representative German Climate Governance German Climate Governance Table of Contents Preface Introduction............................................................................................................................................................................................1 National Level Perspectives Dr. Ursula Fuentes-Hutfilter Head of Division, KI I 1, Strategic Aspects of Climate Policy, Climate Action Plan Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB)...........................................................................................................................................................................9 Dr. Sven Reinhardt Head of Division, KI I 2, Climate Policy and the Business Sector Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB).........................................................................................................................................................................12 State Level Perspectives Alexandra Landsberg Head of Section, Environmental Economic Coordination, Environmental Economic Strategy, Environmental Technology Cluster.NRW, Structural Policy, Environmental and Economic Dialogue, and Member of the Project Group for the Climate Protection Plan Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Agriculture, Nature and Consumer Protection (MKULNV) NRW.............................................................................................................................................15 Dr. Frank-Michael Baumann Director, EnergyAgency.NRW.........................................................................................................................................18 Prof. Dr. Manfred Fischedick Vice President, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment, and Energy........................................................................22 Martina Richwien Director, Climate Division, IFOK GmbH...................................................................................................................25 Jan Dobertin Director, NRW State Association for Renewable Energies..........................................................................28 Local Level Perspectives Marcus Müller Climate Network Manager, Arnsberg District, EnergyAgency.NRW......................................................32 Dr. Babette Nieder Commissioner for Energy & Innovation, City of Herten...............................................................................36 Dagmar Wolsing Director, Climate Agency Essen.................................................................................................................................39 German Climate Governance Introduction Solid national commitments to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions are an important step towards mitigating the damaging impacts of climate change. Yet, a commitment alone is not enough to assure that such targets are reached. On the contrary, much seems to depend on local implementation. In many countries, including Germany and China, a complex set of challenging questions has to be addressed for designing the right mix of national mitigation strategies as well as policy instruments for their implementation. Which sectors should be at the core of mitigation efforts? What is the appropriate mix of policy instruments? What will the economic impact of any particular mitigation strategy be? Which mechanisms exist for generating financial resources? How can targets be monitored and enforced? Which options exist for raising public awareness and for building support from a broad range of stakeholders from the business, science and civil society sectors? Which institutions should coordinate such processes? In addition, what kind of knowledge and skills are needed for managing it? In short, which elements make for effective climate governance? When looking for answers to these questions, an interesting case to consider is the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). In 2013, Germany’s most populous state, industrial stronghold and economic powerhouse with close ties to the Chinese economy, became the first German state to establish a Climate Protection Law with legally binding