Decarbon Days in Cottbus: A step into the climate-friendly future!

Decarbon Days in Cottbus: A step into the climate-friendly future!

The exciting event “Decarbon Days” will take place in Cottbus from June 26th to 28th, 2025. The venue is the research campus in the Lausitz Science Park, a former aircraft hangar that is ideal for such innovative meetings. Scientists, entrepreneurs and politicians come together here to discuss important topics relating to a climate-friendly economy and industry. In particular, it is about the development of a CO2-free industry and the use of climate-friendly technologies as part of the Net Zero Valley project, which was launched in 2023 to create jobs and prospects in the region affected by structural change. But the renovation plans for this promising project are stalling.

What is particularly explosive is that Arcelor Mittal, a major player in the industry, has abandoned its plans for a green steelworks. There is a lack of available hydrogen and prices are high, which is significantly slowing progress. Furthermore, legislative initiatives at federal and EU level created a certain level of planning uncertainty, which led to many projects being reduced, postponed or even canceled.

A look at the program items

The first days of the event are packed with exciting panels and short lectures. On Friday the focus will be on climate-neutral aviation and the new markets that can be created by climate-friendly technologies. A highlight will be the short lecture by Jacob Beautemps, who will talk about investments in the sector. Kristina Jeromin will also explain what sustainable financing models can actually look like.

Saturday is then specifically aimed at the social consequences of change, the shortage of skilled workers and the need for regional training structures. It is clear that the challenges facing the climate-friendly industry are not only technical, but also social.

European perspectives and goals

The themes of “Decarbon Days” are also in the context of broader European efforts to reduce CO2 emissions. According to MEPs, it is important to develop clean energy sources as alternatives to fossil fuels and increase the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption to 42.5 percent by 2030. Currently, over 20 percent of the energy consumed in the EU already comes from renewable sources, with the trend towards wind, solar and hydrogen technologies continuing to increase. In addition, EU funding for natural gas infrastructure will be phased out in order to redirect funds to sustainable projects and reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

The “Decarbon Days” in Cottbus are therefore not only a local but also an international platform for discussing the challenges and opportunities associated with the transition to a climate-friendly economy. The coming days could be decisive for what the future of industry looks like in Germany and across Europe. Further information about the event days can be found on the official website of Decarbon Days, where compliance with data protection guidelines also has top priority. This is ensured by the responsible company, zwei Helden GmbH, as explained in more detail in their data protection declaration.