Copenhagen's students evaluate local climate efforts - Investigating the extent of climate action within the city.
Koblenz, a city nestled along the Rhine, is taking strides towards a greener future. On a significant day in July 2025, the University of Applied Sciences for Social Development (HfGG) will host a panel discussion focusing on potential future-oriented climate protection projects, links to ongoing initiatives, and concrete measures for the coming years.
The event will bring together Alexandra Kraatz, Charlotte Keul, Loriana Metzger, and Astrid Fries, who are all renowned figures in their respective fields. The HfGG, a young, state-recognized, and ideologically independent university, is the institution where the students conducting the Climate Check are based.
The Climate Check, an assessment of Koblenz's climate protection measures, analyzed 35 communal political measures across six sectors (energy, heat, transport, industry, agriculture, and administration). While the specific current measures and future projects from the student "Climate Check" are not detailed, it likely involves participatory and research-based local climate assessments to identify gaps and propose innovative future projects.
Koblenz's engagement with climate protection extends beyond the local level. The city is actively involved in the local climate alliance, which organized a major climate day in 2025 under the theme "Climate protection connects," involving over 20 NGOs and local actors.
Moreover, the city's climate-related challenges are closely intertwined with the Rhine's ecosystem. Warming river water temperatures due to climate change pose challenges for water use and ecosystem health, underscoring the importance of sensible water management and climate adaptation strategies in the Rhine basin.
The panel discussion will be followed by a presentation of the findings from the Climate Check, which will be held on July 8, 2025, at the University of Applied Sciences for Social Development. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with guests from politics, city administration, and civil society.
For those interested in attending, admission to the event is free, and no prior registration is required. For more information about the event, visit www.hfgg.de/events.
Stadt.Land.Klima!, a nationwide initiative for communal climate protection, aims to make climate protection more feasible on a local level. Their ranking makes the political will for communal climate protection visible, measurable, and comparable throughout Germany.
The HfGG offers study programs including the Bachelor's degree program "Economics - Sustainability - Transformation" (OENT), and the Master's degree programs "Economics - Sustainability - Social Development" (ONG) and "Economics - Responsibility - Institutional Development" (OVI). The university is financed by engaged citizens and foundations.
In conclusion, Koblenz's commitment to climate protection is evident, and this panel discussion promises to be an insightful event, shedding light on future-oriented climate protection projects and the city's ongoing initiatives.
- The Council of the City, acknowledging the significance of climate-change, is actively involved in local climate alliances and collaborates with various NGOs for effective climate protection.
- In an effort to foster environmentally-minded future leaders, the University of Applied Sciences for Social Development (HfGG) is hosting a panel discussion on potential climate protection projects, highlighting the role of learning and lifelong-education-and-self-development in environmental-science.
- As a further step towards a greener future, Alexandra Kraatz, Charlotte Keul, Loriana Metzger, and Astrid Fries, prominent figures in their respective fields of science, will share their insights on the Climate Check, a student-led assessment evaluating Koblenz's ongoing climate-protection measures and proposing future projects.
