Making Berlin compliant with the Paris resolutions: Update of the Feasibility Study Climate Neutral Berlin 2050 Feasibility Study

The Paris Agreement, which is binding under international law, has created a new basis for climate policy in all countries and municipalities. In order to contribute to achieving the goal of limiting anthropogenic global warming of 1,5° C in comparison to preindustrial levels, existing climate protection concepts and corresponding targets must be adapted. In Berlin in December 2015 – exactly the month of the Paris Agreement – the governing mayor was presented with the final report on the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Programme 2030 (BEK) by a project team led by the IÖW. This report contains concrete recommendations for measures to achieve the -80% reduction target for CO2 emissions by 2050.

Since May 2020, The IÖW has been commissioned by the State of Berlin, represented by the Senate Department for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, to revise the underlying scenarios from the feasibility study „Klimaneutrales Berlin 2050“ in regard to „Paris conformity“. For this purpose, current developments, framework conditions and trends are analysed, scenarios for different target years are designed and short-term immediate measures are derived.