Environment - Climate Council founded in Brandenburg
A Climate Advisory Board composed of experts and scientists will review the implementation of climate protection goals in Brandenburg in the future. The voluntary body, made up of twelve scientists, began its work about two months before the state election. Its main task is to evaluate the climate report of the state government in 2025 and suggest improvements, particularly in the areas of transportation, energy, and agriculture. By 2045, Brandenburg aims to achieve climate neutrality with the help of a climate plan.
"Such committees do not have the role of playing substitute politicians or politicians," said the director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), Ottmar Edenhofer. It's about the question: "Is Brandenburg doing the right things, and is it doing them right?" The PIK chief economist also emphasized that unchecked climate change means a loss of prosperity.
In adapting to climate change, there are several aspects, including agriculture, which, according to experts, needs to handle water more efficiently. Hermann Lotze-Campen from PIK, who leads the Brandenburg Climate Advisory Board, cited agroforestry systems as an example to prevent wind erosion on fields and store carbon in the landscape. Agroforestry means combining trees and shrubs with agricultural crops. The trees and shrubs are planted in regular rows on the fields. In addition, the rewetting of peatlands also creates new business opportunities, such as reed cultivation, Lotze-Campen said.
At the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, a business office for the Climate Advisory Board with two scientific staff members will be set up by the end of the year. Regarding the question of whether the next state government after the September election will work with the Climate Advisory Board, Agriculture Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) said: "It's not a stepping stone." It can be assumed that the next state government will be bound by the climate plan, to which the establishment of the advisory board belongs.
- The agroforestry systems mentioned by Hermann Lotze-Campen from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research can contribute significantly to improving environmental conditions in Brandenburg's agriculture sector, focusing on more efficient water usage and carbon sequestration.
- The new state government, following the September election, may not view the Climate Advisory Board as a stepping stone, but it is likely to remain committed to the existing climate plan, which includes the establishment of the advisory board.
- To effectively combat climate change, it's crucial for regions like Brandenburg to adapt their strategies in various sectors, such as agriculture, as indicated by the expertise offered by the Climate Advisory Board and the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
