Potsdam launches climate monitor: This is how climate protection becomes transparent!

Potsdam launches climate monitor: This is how climate protection becomes transparent!

In Potsdam, the topic of climate protection is now going one step further: With the new climate monitor, which was launched today by Lars Schmäh, the acting head of the Climate, Environment and Green Spaces Department, climate protection is not only measurable, but also transparent and comprehensible. The internet portal under klima-monitor.potsdam.de can be found, offers comprehensive information on climate protection measures and current projects in the state capital.

The ambitious goal is clear: greenhouse gas emissions should be reduced by a whopping 95 percent by 2045. Emissions in Potsdam are currently around 695,000 tons - a decrease from 904,000 tons in 2003. Per capita, the people of Potsdam are doing quite well at 3.9 tons compared to 25 other large cities. However, in order to reach the final target total of 120,000 tonnes, a lot of action is still necessary. Currently only 0.8 percent of the apartments in the city have been renovated, which is in contrast to the target of 2.5 percent.

Efficient measures and successes

The climate monitor serves as a digital working tool for administration, municipal companies as well as citizens and city politics. The effects of various measures on the greenhouse gas balance can be explored using interactive tools such as the CO₂ future simulator. Furthermore reported Meeting point Potsdam from successes such as converting street lighting to LED, which reduced electricity consumption from 6,500 MWh in 2003 to around 4,200 MWh in 2024.

Another important aspect is the use of green electricity by the Municipal Real Estate Service (KIS), which contributes significantly to decreasing emissions. The district heating supply will also be further expanded and will be converted to renewable energies by 2045. But there are challenges not only in the area of ​​energy: transport also plays a central role, with 27 percent of trips made by car in 2023, while the rest were by bicycle, walking or local transport.

Smart city project for a sustainable future

The climate monitor is not just a technical innovation, but part of Potsdam's larger Smart City project, which relies on digital technologies to promote sustainable urban development. This takes advantage of a “digital twin” that analyzes real-time data to increase quality of life and environmental sustainability in cities. This concept could also be applied to many other urban areas, such as traffic control or street lighting.

These approaches are important not only for the city itself, but also for the well-being of future generations. Urban development must be ecologically compatible, economically viable and socially just - these are the demands also made by the United Nations. By 2050, more than half of Europe's population is expected to live in cities, underlining the urgency of sustainable solutions, such as Fraunhofer argued.

The official presentation of the Potsdam Climate Monitor will take place at the environmental festival on September 28th in the Volkspark, where around 100 exhibitors will present their ideas for a more sustainable everyday life.