BACKGROUND
Public pressure is increasing, and climate protection is moving more strongly into focus; not least thanks to groups such as Fridays for Future or Extinction Rebellion, which draw massive attention to these issues. More and more cities and municipalities around the world are responding and taking action. They are declaring a climate emergency or adopting similar declarations, thereby sending a strong signal for greater local climate protection.
CLIMATE PROTECTION BASIS
Whether climate emergency, climate manifesto, or climate crisis – these declarations are more than just symbolic and can achieve a lot at the local level. They make it clear that climate protection must play a central role in all municipal decisions. Awareness of climate change is also increasing within local administrations, where climate protection must be considered as a cross-cutting task across all areas. Many municipalities also involve their citizens and raise awareness of climate protection and climate change issues.
“With the declaration of a climate emergency, the city of Konstanz is sending a signal and an impulse: a signal especially to the young people in Konstanz that this issue, which strongly concerns the youth, has arrived at City Hall. And an impulse to significantly accelerate efforts for climate protection. But we also say: climate protection is not only a matter for politics and administration, but something to which everyone must contribute.”
– Uli Burchardt
Mayor of the Council City of Konstanz – the first German city to declare a climate emergency in 2019.
LEIPZIG STILL IN A CLIMATE EMERGENCY
At the end of October 2019, the city council of Leipzig declared a climate emergency, thereby committing itself to responsible local action against global climate change. In the summer of 2020, an immediate action program followed – a milestone in Leipzig’s energy and climate protection efforts.
In April 2025, a proposal to revoke the declaration of a climate emergency was rejected by a narrow majority in the city council. As a result, the city continues to assign the highest priority to climate protection and climate adaptation.
By June 2025, around 106 members of the Climate Alliance had already declared a climate emergency. This makes the Climate Alliance the most experienced network of cities in the field of climate emergency declarations.