Local Initiatives Make Climate Change Tangible
In parallel with the World Climate Conference in Baku (COP29), the forum1.5 project hosted a regional climate conference in Bayreuth. Nearly 500 participants worked together to identify the steps needed to enable effective action for the local transformation towards sustainability.
All countries worldwide must intensify their climate mitigation targets to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius—this was one of the key conclusions of the somewhat sobering COP29 in Baku, which primarily focused on climate finance. “The outcomes of COP29 once again underscore the urgent need to intensify climate protection at all levels,” says Lena Roth, public relations officer at forum1.5, a climate protection and citizen participation project initiated at the University of Bayreuth. While global measures to phase out fossil fuels and promote renewable energy were negotiated in Baku, Upper Franconia has already taken concrete and pioneering steps in this direction.
The regional climate conference RegioCOP in Bayreuth demonstrated how local initiatives can make global climate goals tangible. The conference centred on innovative approaches to sustainable energy supply, land use, and societal transformation. Under the motto “Act regionally to change globally,” approximately 500 experts, representatives from local authorities and businesses, and civil society actors discussed solutions and concrete measures. The conference placed a strong emphasis on the specific challenges faced by Upper Franconia, such as land use and the energy transition.
The outcomes of the 16 sub-conferences were impressive, resulting in 46 core messages that form part of this year’s resolution. These messages outline what needs to be done in each thematic area and the necessary framework conditions to achieve this.
Significance for the Upper Franconia Region
Professor Dr Susanne Tittlbach, Vice President for Digitalisation, Innovation, and Sustainability at the University of Bayreuth, highlighted the importance of the RegioCOP: “The RegioCOP is a prime example of one of the goals of our sustainability strategy: supporting the transformation of society towards greater sustainability. The conference demonstrates the vital importance of translating scientific findings into society and creating synergies with business and politics to tackle the immense challenge of achieving climate neutrality.”
The successful networking of academia, politics, and civil society makes RegioCOP 2024 a model for how local actions can complement international climate policy.
Call to Action
The RegioCOP has shown that ambitious climate targets can only be achieved through concrete regional measures. The conference participants invite others to use these outcomes as a blueprint for their own regions—because effective climate protection can only succeed through collaboration. The resolution adopted at the conference is available for online endorsement by all supporters.