Klimaschutzbericht 2024 der Stadt Augsburg

The “Klimaschutzbericht 2024 der Stadt Augsburg” is a comprehensive climate‑protection study prepared by the city’s environmental department under the authorship of Reiner Erben, a senior city councillor responsible for sustainability. Published by Stadt Augsburg, the report presents the latest emissions inventory, policy framework and implementation status of the city’s climate‑action programme, known as the Blue City Klimaschutzprogramm, which aims for a climate‑neutral administration by 2035 and a city‑wide carbon‑neutral status by 2030‑35.

The report documents a reduction of CO₂‑equivalents from 8.18 t per inhabitant in 2016 to 6.52 t in 2021, a 20.3 % decrease. Total municipal emissions for 2021 amount to 1.868 million t CO₂‑e, split among private households (587 kt), the GHD sector (455 kt), industry (522 kt) and transport (367 kt). The city’s start‑balance for 2019 records 44 273 t of total greenhouse‑gas emissions, establishing a baseline for future monitoring.

The Blue City programme, adopted in July 2022, structures climate actions into seven pillars ranging from infrastructure expansion to public engagement. The city has set an intermediate 50 % reduction target for 2030 (based on a 1990 baseline of 2.44 Mt CO₂) and a 95 % reduction target for 2050. A specific commitment is to make the municipal administration climate‑neutral by 2035, supported by a dedicated climate‑leadership group, a climate‑steering committee and an inter‑departmental task force.

Energy use data show that electricity, natural gas and district heating together account for the bulk of municipal energy demand. In 2021, the city’s own buildings consumed 16.298 GWh of electricity and 61.351 GWh of gas. Notably, the district‑heating system uses locally sourced renewable heat, resulting in a lower emission factor (0.137 t CO₂‑e / MWh) than the national standard. Adjusted calculations using these local factors reduce the estimated emissions by roughly 5 % compared with the default federal factors.

Transport emissions fell from 1.6 Mt CO₂ in 2009 to 0.367 Mt in 2021, reflecting a shift toward public transport and modal changes. However, the city’s vehicle fleet remains large, with 164 660 motorised vehicles recorded in 2022. Ongoing projects aim to increase electric vehicle uptake, expand charging infrastructure and promote cycling and shared mobility.

Housing is a focal point of Augsburg’s climate strategy. The report highlights retro‑fit programmes for energy‑efficient renovation, targeting a reduction of heating demand to below 50 kWh / m² · year for municipal buildings. New construction is encouraged to meet passive‑house standards, with a target of 26 kWh / m² · year for existing stock. Incentives include low‑interest loans, technical advisory services and streamlined permitting for renewable‑energy installations such as solar PV on rooftops.

The city’s wastewater treatment plant, serving roughly 600 000 equivalent inhabitants, operates on an ISO‑14001‑aligned management system and has been electricity‑self‑sufficient since 2011. Combined heat‑recovery from biogas and residual heat contributes to district‑heating, further lowering overall emissions.

The report adopts the BISKO methodology for emissions accounting and integrates data from the “Klimaschutz‑Planer” software. Annual updates are planned, with a focus on improving data completeness for leased properties and non‑energy‑related scopes. The municipality anticipates that, without accelerated measures, the 9.7 Mt CO₂ budget allocated for 2021 will be exhausted by 2027, underscoring the urgency of scaling up mitigation actions.

Augsburg collaborates with regional partners, including the Augsburg‑Aichach‑Friedberg districts, and receives funding from federal climate‑action programmes, the European Green Deal and private‑sector investments. The city also pursues a divestment strategy to align its financial portfolio with climate goals.