Kollaborative Klima-Governance in Marburg. Chancen und Hemmnisse auf dem Weg zur Klimaneutralität

This paper reflects on how, and under what conditions local transformative change towards climate neutrality can flourish, based on the case of the German city of Marburg, which has committed to become a climate neutral city by 2030. The research findings are drawn from the work of the Franco-German Forum for the Future established in 2020. The Forum seeks to accelerate social and ecological transformation through collaborative action research with pioneering municipalities in France and Germany, through the fostering of dialogue among these initiatives and through the development of political recommendations for the respective national governments. We show how despite a strong political will in Marburg among both political leadership and civil society to act decisively for the achievement of climate neutrality, institutional constraints, such as a lack of flexibility within the local administration, shortage of capacity and resources for the monitoring of progress and the absence of institutionalised mechanisms for citizen participation and collaboration can hamper progress towards achieving the ambitious goals.