In November, the eyes of the world will be on Bonn. The 23rd Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 23) will be hosted in Bonn under the Presidency of the Republic of Fiji and with the support of the Federal Government and the State Government of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). More than 20,000 international diplomatic, political and civilian representatives are expected to attend the conference. North Rhine-Westphalia will use the Climate Change Conference from 6 to 17 November 2017 as an opportunity to showcase successful and promising approaches, ways and objectives in the fields of climate action and adaptation to the impacts of climate change to the world.
The Federal Environment Ministry and the State Government of NRW are inviting accredited journalists, delegates and NGOs, among others, to participate in an excursion programme. EnergieAgentur.NRW has organised 18 excursions with a total of 36 projects that showcase climate action solutions “made in NRW” which address the following: What will urban life look like in the future? How is the transformation in the transport sector going to work for commercial transport? How can aluminium production support the energy transition? And how can emissions from the steel industry’s furnaces not only be avoided but turned into new products?
Federal Environment Minister Barbara Hendricks commented: "The Climate Change Conference in Bonn is not only about negotiations but also about walking the talk. It is important for climate action that good ideas are shared on a global level. In Germany and in particular in the energy State of North Rhine-Westphalia, there are already a number of compelling concepts and projects that could serve as models on an international scale. Climate action is also a recipe for economic success."
"North Rhine-Westphalia is regarded as one of the top-performing energy regions in the world. The region has a long-standing tradition of developing and implementing energy efficiency and climate solutions. North Rhine-Westphalia pools research, development and practical application skill sets in a special way- something climate action worldwide can benefit from. We want to use the Climate Change Conference period precisely to campaign for this", says Armin Laschet, State Premier of North Rhine-Westphalia on the framework programme. “The objectives have been carefully selected and provide an overview of the productivity of North Rhine-Westphalia’s R&D landscape. In addition, each excursion will provide an insight into the culture and history of our State”, says Premier Armin Laschet.
During the excursions participants will travel to places such as Dortmund (innovative building and housing), Cologne (climate-friendly estates and energy research), Bottrop (innovation city), Erkrath and Remscheid (efficient heating technology), the climate municipality of Saerbeck (decentralised supply from renewable energy sources), to Lindlar (disposal and reusable material cycle), Finnentrop (hydroelectric power), Aachen (viable mobility concepts, e-mobility) and Düsseldorf (efficient power plant technology). Engineers, consultants of EnergieAgentur.NRW and KlimaExpo.NRW will join the excursions as part of a team of experts and guides for participants.
In addition to the excursions, the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in cooperation with the EnergieAgentur.NRW and the Wuppertal Institut, is extending an invitation to the NRW Climate Lounge at the Post Tower in Bonn from 6 to 9 and from 13 to 17 November: Every day between 5 and 7 p.m., an update on the conference’s progress will be provided. Stakeholders from politics, the scientific community and industry of NRW and international guests will discuss current climate action topics - from international climate diplomacy to municipal flagship projects such as climate-compatible urban development at our doorstep. To conclude COP 23, NRW Climate Lounge will provide a first evaluation of the results achieved in Bonn.
In addition, an international expert conference on Climate Action in Industry will be held on 10 November as part of NRW’s programme. The conference will be hosted by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia in cooperation with EnergieAgentur.NRW and the Wuppertal Institut. The conference agenda will focus on North Rhine-Westphalia’s role as a trendsetter in the climate-compatible management of energy-intensive raw material production. The most densely populated Federal State can look back on three decades of experience in this field. Since 1990, CO2 emissions have been reduced by more than 30 percent thanks to numerous energy efficiency measures.
The afternoon of 14 November will be entirely dedicated to the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia. The State will hold a presentation entitled: "Man and Climate Action - how we want to live tomorrow". This interactive presentation will be held in the Talanoa Space - Talanoa is a Fijian word which means "story telling" - in the Bonn zone and is aimed exclusively at accredited COP 23 participants, delegates from negotiating countries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and journalists. The agenda of NRW@Talanoa Space includes topics like sustainably managed student cooperatives, climate action and migration, international climate partnerships at local level, energy saving and user behaviour. By way of an example, EnergieAgentur. NRW is going to present its project “missionE” which supports businesses and administrations in energy-saving programmes.