Hamburg European Green Capital 2011: The Train of Ideas made a stop in Copenhagen

Beyond the Hamburg case: keeping a watchful eye on best-practices

Named “European Green Capital” for 2011, the City of Hamburg had the place of honor at the Danish Design Center last Wednesday. Four speakers, coming from both the public and the private sector, both from Hamburg and from Copenhagen, were given the occasion to outline their views on a sustainable urban future. Such a diversity of backgrounds symbolizes, at a small scale, the promising public-private-partnership that has already borne fruits in Hamburg, and shows the way to a better knowledge sharing.

The event allowed me to gain an insight into Hamburg’s environmental policies. The 2007 Climate Action Program of Hamburg consists of 300 measures, all leading towards this challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions with 40% in 2020 compared with the 1990 level, and 50% in 2050.
Communication on sustainability issues is an important constituent of this set of multiple measures. Dr. B. Hain, Climate Coordinator of the City of Hamburg, stressed the importance of reaching populations with disadvantaged backgrounds. Thus, the Hamburg Municipality has launched an innovative social program: a survey course on sustainability has been especially dedicated to young migrant school-students.
However, the discussion rapidly extended to a more general question such as: how can we make cities learn from each other? And how can we make public and private deciders cooperate? Interestingly, when it comes to environmental know-how, the City of Copenhagen is recurrently taken the lead as a model.

Exposing the Hamburg Climate Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40% in 2020 and 50% in 2050, Dr. B. Hain specified that it certainly overcomes the E.U goals, but still was less ambitious than the Copenhagen objective to become carbon-neutral by 2025.
The Head of Sustainable Cities Program at Siemens AG, S. Dening, also reminded us that Copenhagen in 2009 was regarded as the greenest city in Europe according to the Green City Index. Its strong political leadership, together with a comprehensive and ambitious approach to sustainable planning, were particularly lauded.  

Municipalities should set their sights higher: identifying opportunities, figuring out bold solutions, reckoning on companies

This conference made the case for an ambitious change, a turning that municipalities and companies around the world must undertake in close cooperation. Both Per Meilstrup, climate director at Green Growth Leaders, - an alliance between The Municipality of Copenhagen, DONG, and Monday Morning- and Stefan Denig insisted on “boldness”. Boldness is a virtue when applied to such a serious challenge, and pays off when there are opportunities. The latter are breathtaking: Siemens participated in the construction of 6500 green buildings, saving 1 billions €, and sparing 2,4 millions tons of carbon dioxideCO2 emission. And soaring oil prices will make green investments even more profitable.  
In a wider perspective, S. Denig argued that two thirds of all “green investments” will actually pay back. And they are often providential for cities with outdated and polluting facilities.

Boldness is not only a noble quality; it is also a salutary mindset. Since 1,800 people a day leave countryside for cities, it becomes urgent to find smarted and greener urban solutions.
Per Meilstrup presented striking figures and pictures, stressing the fact that the present urbanization boom is still underestimated, claiming that economic “green” growth is desirable. Meilstrup forecasts an increasing importance of the private sector in environmental policies in the next years; meanwhile politicians have proven to be sometimes incapable of coming to an agreement on quantifiable targets.

However, a constructive involvement of the private sector should not push public deciders aside, added Dr. B. Hain.
What is at stake here is the complexity of public-private-partnerships. To a certain extent, a synergy between both sides has been achieved by a consensus on efficient measures. Yet, finding a happy medium between interventionism and pure laissez-faire seems implacably political.
Good enough, the public and private countributors of the day didn’t stared stonily at each other - they sat side by side at the same table.