Met een keur aan evenementen laat Hamburg zien hoe een Europese metropool uitblinkt op het gebied van milieu en klimaat. Alle lichten staan op dit punt op groen in de European Green Capital 2011. Wat er dit jaar allemaal op de rails wordt gezet is te volgen via een Engelstalige website: www.hamburggreencapital.eu

Hamburg demonstrates with numerous public events how a European metropolitan region excels in environmental and climate protection. With a comprehensive programme of events, stretching out over several months, the European Green Capital 2011 is going to present the decisive factors that contributed to the EU Commission awarding this title to Hamburg. Guided tours, public viewings, presentations, information and cultural events invite guests from near and far to gain an insight into Hamburg’s climate protection scheme.

In addition to that, Hamburg is hosting a wide range of international trade fairs and top-class conferences addressing climate change, renewable energy, resource protection and sustainability both in Europe and on a global scale. Here, one of the highlights will be the sixth Extreme Weather Congress, to take place from 12 to 15 April, during which the most recent findings in global climate change will be presented.

In May and June, several international conferences will be addressing the climate situation and the use of renewable energy in the Near East, North Africa and the Baltic Sea states. The “goodgoods” trade fair, Germany’s first sustainable consumer goods show, to take place from 27 to 29 May, will present sustainable products and services in the fields of living, fashion, technology, mobility, nutrition and health.

The most recent trends in green technologies will be presented at the “H2Expo”, an international conference and trade fair covering hydrogen, fuel cells and electrical drives. The conference will be held on 8 and 9 June and will address the most recent developments in the field of energy supply, and the automotive, aviation and shipping industries. Another highlight of the Green Capital series of events will be the world’s largest gathering of the photovoltaic solar energy industry, taking place from 5 to 9 September.

With its programme of events, Hamburg is initiating a dialogue that will combine expertise and open up new perspectives for climate and environmental protection. Hamburg is setting the bar for international environment and climate protection – a fact that is also proven by the Hamburg Senate’s comprehensive climate protection approach that integrates a wide range of measures into a long-term strategy. Hamburg’s dedicated climate protection scheme was one of the decisive factors when being awarded the title of “European Green Capital 2011” by the EU committee. As an international port and industrial hub that is constantly growing, Hamburg has still successfully reduced its CO2 emissions by 15 percent since 1990. By the year 2020, CO2 emissions are planned to be reduced by 40 percent, and can even be reduced by 2050 to 80 percent. Measures for achieving this objective include sustainable management and construction, eco-friendly transport, nature conservation, as well as educational programmes and sustainable consumption.

Today, it has become one of Hamburg’s trademarks to integrate active environmental protection into the challenges of a dynamic trading and port economy, thus reconciling economic success and ecological foresight. Thus Hamburg serves as a striking example in showing that a prosperous business location with Europe’s third-largest port and more than 500 industrial plants can make a valuable contribution to global climate protection. What is more, the renewable energy sector is growing beyond average: more than one hundred companies, primarily from the fields of wind, solar and biomass energy, are located in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg.

For further information, please visit www.hamburggreencapital.eu

(Persbericht Hamburg Marketing GmbH, 04-04-2011)