As at: July 2010

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General Information Climate Initiative

What is the Climate Initiative about?

Climate protection is a global task for society as a whole. Through the Climate Initiative, the Federal Environment Ministry has initiated and supported many projects on emissions reduction, energy efficiency and the expansion of renewable energies both nationally and internationally since 2008. The German government's Climate Initiative is financed with budget funds which are available to it from the auctioning of allowances in the emissions trading scheme.

Goals

The Federal Environment Ministry's Climate Initiative aims to tap existing potential for emissions reduction in a cost-effective way and to advance innovative model projects for climate protection. This paves the way to the ambitious national climate protection goal: a 40% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in Germany by 2020 compared to 1990. In addition, it strengthens Germany’s bilateral cooperation with developing, newly industrialising and transition countries in the field of climate protection and supports the ongoing negotiation process for a comprehensive global climate agreement.

The German government's climate protection policy

National Climate Initiative

The Federal Environment Ministry supports effective climate protection measures in individual and model projects through various programmes and activities at the national level. Everyone is invited to participate in the Climate Initiative: A support package specifically tailored for municipalities is available as well as an action programme for schools and educational facilities. Enterprises receive support for investments through the environmental innovation programme, the incentive programme for cooling plants and the market incentive programme. There are also offers to advise and support consumers.

International Climate Initiative

The Federal Environment Ministry supports model climate protection projects in developing, newly industrialising and transition countries through the International Climate Initiative. The projects are geared towards the needs of the partner countries and support climate protection measures, in particular reducing greenhouse gases, improving adaptability to the consequences of climate change and conserving and using climate-relevant areas which merit protection. The International Climate Initiative therefore also supports the implementation of the Copenhagen Accord and facilitates consensus-building regarding an ambitious post-2012 climate protection agreement. It is part of the German contribution to fast-start financing, the commitment of industrialised countries in the Copenhagen Accord to financing immediate climate protection measures in developing countries until 2012.

Consumer information

Consumers, enterprises, municipalities and schools all benefit from the National Climate Initiative. The Climate Initiative supports, for example, investments in greater energy efficiency and therefore offers the basis for lower heating costs in private households. It offers practical assistance to consumers for saving energy costs: specially trained energy saving experts visit low-income households and analyse their electricity consumption free of charge.