Sustainability Advisory Board Develops Impulses for Energy Transition and Sustainability Strategy in Brandenburg
11.10.2021
For the first time since it was founded in February, the Brandenburg Sustainability Advisory Board met in person on October 7 2021. The meeting at the IASS focused on the focal topic "Implementation of the energy transition in Brandenburg and CO2-free industrial processes”, as well as key considerations for improving the state’s sustainability strategy. The Advisory Board’s third meeting was led by Chairman and IASS Scientific Director Ortwin Renn. The Head of the State Chancellery, Minister Kathrin Schneider, was also present.
The focal topic “The decarbonisation of the economy” was discussed by Board member Rüdiger Kuhn (Pro Brandenburg e.V. and Chairman of the Board of CEMEX Deutschland AG). The meeting gathered the perspectives and expertise of each of the Advisory Board members. The next step will be for the Advisory Board to discuss with the ministers tasked with leading this work, Axel Vogel (Environment and Climate Protection) and Jörg Steinbach (Economy and Energy), as well as with Minister Schneider, when they meet at the beginning of November. The Advisory Board intends to publish the results of this work in a Policy Brief at the end of the year.
One of the main responsibilities of the Sustainability Advisory Board is to contribute to advancing Brandenburg’s sustainability strategy. Minister Schneider presented the first key points as well as some of the State Chancellery’s conceptual considerations on this. Brandenburg’s sustainability strategy will also be the topic of the next plenary session of the Brandenburg Sustainability Platform, and a summary of the key points paper will be presented and discussed with the public as well.
The Advisory Board also discussed its thematic priorities for 2022. At its next meeting in January 2022, the focal topic "Resilient renewal after the Corona crisis", currently under the patronage of Professor Uta Steinhardt (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development), will be dealt with in greater depth.
In addition, the Board agreed to address the issue of water during the coming year. According to Chairman Renn: "Climate change and other global changes in ecological and economic conditions are increasingly felt in Brandenburg. The environmental medium of water and associated economic sectors are particularly affected by this. Therefore, in addition to the state sustainability strategy, the Advisory Board will address the topic of water in the coming year."
The next Advisory Board meeting will take place at the IASS on 24 January 2022.
This report is based on a press release in German from the State Chancellery of Brandenburg: Erste Präsenzsitzung des Nachhaltigkeitsbeirates: Wichtige Impulse für die Energiewende in Brandenburg und die Weiterentwicklung der Nachhaltigkeitsstrategie des Landes | Landesregierung Brandenburg
