"We want to encourage other cities in the world to do the same things", said Mr. Bruns. "Being the current German Climate Capital, we feel obliged to do everything we can to reach our ambitious target in climate protection." The city council has decreed to cut down on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by at least 40 per cent until 2020. This is a really ambitious aim, as CO2 emissions have already been reduced to about 6 tons per capita and year, which is roughly 60 per cent of what an average German produces.

The "Citizens' Pact" aims at motivating every single "Muensteraner". Whoever signs the agreement commits him- or herself to a number of very practical steps. The list starts with basic things: Replace two conventional electric bulbs by energy saving bulbs, use the shower instead of filling the entire bath tub, switch off the light when you leave the room. But there is still a lot more to do, even for people who believe they already live energy efficient lives: Why not sell the car or sacrifice the next short distant flight to London or Paris? "We place great emphasis on picking up people from their specific starting points, regardless of what their background is. We want to motivate the absolute beginners as well as the dyed-in-the-wool ecologists", said Heiner Bruns.

"The city of Muenster is known in Germany as the Climate Protection Capital. Already since the early 1990s, Muenster has been developing a comprehensive approach to emission reduction incorporating the energy, building and transport sectors. It has been a distinctive feature of the Münster mitigation strategy to actively involve its citizens in these efforts", commented Jochen Flasbarth, President of the governmental think-tank Federal Environment Agency (UBA).

"Seen against this background, Muenster's Climate Pact contributes another piece to the jigsaw for effective mitigation on local level. Our research project 'Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Consumption. Environmental awareness / Communication of environmental issues' revealed that citizens are – in a latent way – ready to act, but lack orientation and encouragement. This is where the Muenster Climate Pact comes in: listing specific measures that everybody can easily implement. Thus, the Muenster initiative is a very promising example for encouraging citizens to act against climate change", he added.

The message the "Citizens' Pact" provides is clear and easy: Everyone can do something for the benefit of all. "We didn't want to wait for the governments to take the necessary steps. We wanted to start straight away, and we want all our citizens to join in and recognise that it is worth making an effort", explains Mr. Bruns. "We have made the experience that an average person who has signed the pact saves about 1,750 kilograms of CO2. This is not a lot. But if every Muensteraner joined in, it would save a whole 20 per cent of the city's CO2 emissions."

Climate protection has been ingrained in Muenster's policy for the last 15 years. In 1995 the city council installed the so called Climate and Energy Coordination Unit to systematically implement climate protection targets. The "Citizens' Pact for Climate Protection" is but one pillar of the municipal concept. Intelligent city planning according to the principle of short distances, the efficient use of energy, a comprehensive programme for the rehabilitation of old buildings, integrated traffic planning, extensive consultations for the public on environmental matters, as well as continuous public relations are parts of the wholistic Muenster approach to sustainable development. In March 2010, the city council will have to deal with yet more far-reaching and comprehensive measures to cut down on CO2 emissions. "The European Green Capital Award has motivated us a lot to learn from the other finalist cities and see what they are doing", said Mr. Bruns.

More information about the Muenster climate protection programme and the "Citizens' Pact for Climate Protection" under www.muenster.de/stadt/umwelt.

Photo: Heiner Bruns, head of the Muenster Environmental Office (l.) handed over the signatures to Konrad Otto Zimmermann, Secretary General of ICLEI, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Copyright: City of Muenster. May be used in context of the above press release free of charge.

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Münster beim UN-Klimagipfel