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Bonn and Chengdu to boost low-carbon credentials through new partnership

11 February 2013

by Richard Forster

The city of Bonn, Germany, has embarked on a new sustainable low-carbon development partnership with its sister city Chengdu, China.

Both cities have set ambitious climate change objectives with Bonn aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2020. Chengdu similarly is taking a lead to reduce carbon intensity by increasing the city’s non fossil energy accounts to more than 30 percent of total energy consumption.

The initiative, launched by non-governmental organisations, Germanwatch and E3G (Third Generation Environmentalism), will provide a framework to share experiences and good practices on low-carbon city strategies. It will aim to strengthen cooperation in low-carbon development and climate protection, and to accelerate a low-carbon development path in both cities.

“Bonn and Chengdu differ a lot in terms of scale as well as governance,” Dirk Rommeney, Policy Officer from Germanwatch told Cities Today. “Last year more people moved to Chengdu than Bonn has inhabitants. However, the approach of extending a ‘twin-city partnership’ towards a partnership for sustainable low-carbon development can be a successful model to boost cooperation on meeting energy efficiency and renewable energy targets, and in addressing challenges in two cities in Europe and China.”

Bonn and Chengdu started their partnership in 2000 with cultural exchange projects, which has gradually developed into collaboration in various fields, particularly the exchange of environmental specialists on issues including environmental monitoring.

Structured dialogue events, hosted in Bonn and Chengdu, will be held later in the year, continuing in 2014, based on the identified synergies and opportunities for cooperation.

“E-mobility is one example where both cities can develop interesting cooperation projects,” said Rommeney. “Furthermore, a stronger department-to-department exchange and collaboration in the relevant areas will be emphasised from the outset in order to foster a long lasting bond not only between leaders but also civil servants.”

As Germany embarks upon transforming its energy system, Energiewende, and with low-carbon development pilots being launched in China, organisers believe that partnerships with local governments will play a crucial role in their success.

“Supporting local and regional governments is essential,” added Rommeney. “Any measures to avoid ‘high-carbon’ lock in effects will be taken at a local level. Only the joint action and cooperation on the local and international level can achieve the progress that is needed.”

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