91tv

A stone鈥檚 throw from Berlin鈥檚 iconic TV tower lies Mollstra脽e, a bustling, downtown thoroughfare, lined with post-war communist-era modernist blocks. Constructed in the bombed-out city after WWII, the buildings were once the pride of East German Berlin. They鈥檝e recently been given an environmentally minded makeover: One sprawling apartment block now has solar panels on its roof, supplying its 248 residents with green electricity and making it the city鈥檚 first listed building .

The solar panels go unnoticed on the street below, where, aside from an occasional electric moped whizzing past or the nearby electric charging station, there is scant evidence of Berlin鈥檚 incipient Energiewende. But the revamp of the apartment block on Mollstra脽e is a small sign of the belated climate-oriented rethink underway in the metropole. And the blunt fact is: This exception needs to become the norm if Germany鈥檚 capital is to reach its ambitious climate targets, drawn up just down the street in the Red Rathaus, the seat of Berlin鈥檚 Senate.

Long a climate laggard, the city recently pinned down its environmental goals, with the . This plan may be outshone by other European cities, like , Denmark or , England, which aspire to climate-neutrality decades earlier, but the German capital, with its high profile on the international stage, has the potential to be an important municipal showcase for Germany鈥檚 national Energiewende. To fulfil this role, the city will have to upend its transport, electricity and heating systems, as well as many municipal political attitudes.

Steering Berlin towards its goals is a largely pro-Energiewende city government that took the helm in 2016, a coalition between the Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Green Party. Among its early moves was. The government also aims to exit the remaining hard . Its blueprint for reaching carbon neutrality is the , which requires the city to boost its generation and use of renewable energy, affecting transport, buildings and urban development, the economy and households.

On the frontlines of the transition, Berlin鈥檚 Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises Ramona Pop is determined for Berlin to take a national leadership role on climate. 鈥淲e have laid a cornerstone for a climate-neutral city, across all departments, with the Berlin Energy and Climate Protection Programme,鈥� she told 91tv in an interview. 鈥淭he State of Berlin is moving towards its goals and is showing the national government, which has practically given up on its ambitions in this direction, that climate policy is one of the most important tasks of our time.鈥�

Ambitious shake-ups are also planned for transport, following years of underfunding and political water-treading. In 2017, Berlin became the first German state to , which aims to boost cycling, public transport and zero-emissions mobility in general.

Among numerous non-profit organisations that make environmental benchmarks for cities, such as , and the , the lists Berlin among global metropoles with very aggressive targets. And, to its credit, the capital has decoupled its population growth from CO鈧� emission, meaning it鈥檚 per-capita emissions are falling. In a global context, however, it pales against counterparts like Copenhagen, Stockholm, New York, or Portland, Oregon, which started pursuing climate targets earlier 鈥� and arguably in a more coherent way. Berlin鈥檚 emissions goals are now in line with the . But the reality is that they will be hard to achieve in a capital with an entrenched addiction to fossil power sources and a reputation for being 鈥減oor but sexy鈥�, a label coined by a which has stuck for good reason.

A snap shot of Berlin鈥檚 energy use shows just how much needs to change if politicians are going to live up to their pledges. The German capital is one of Europe鈥檚 most populous cities, with , and it is steadily growing. The city is taking pains to , but, in 2015 (), a mere four percent of total primary energy consumed hailed from renewable sources. When it comes to electricity, renewables made up just 2.5 percent of gross power consumption that same year. Even in domestic terms, Berlin is dragging its heels: Germany as a whole has already increased the share of renewables in power usage to almost 40 percent. But, after a string of governments preoccupied by the city鈥檚 numerous other post-reunification problems, there are tentative signs that Berlin is getting serious about addressing its climate footprint.

Berlin, like most cities, is a densely populated, emissions-intensive metropole. At first glance, Berliners appear to be some of Germany鈥檚 most climate-friendly urbanites, triggering CO鈧� emissions significantly below compatriots in cities This, however, is not a result of major policy efforts, but instead is a fluke of the city鈥檚 history. As a West German 鈥渋sland鈥� in the middle of communist East Germany, Berlin lost many big industrial players during the Cold War. Then, after reunification, East German industry collapsed, accounting for a massive decline in carbon emissions of almost 40 percent in 2015 over 1990.

Berlin is also a city of tenants. More than eight out of ten Berliners dwell in rented flats, generally stacked in multi-story apartment blocks that consume less energy than the rows of single-family houses common in other cities. But Berlin 鈥� which emits around as much CO鈧� as the whole of Jordan 鈥� still has a long way to go.

And buildings play a key role in the Energiewende, as they are responsible for around half of Berlin鈥檚 carbon footprint.Retrofitting the city鈥檚 building stock to be more energy efficient is a complex task, as landlords have little incentive to undertake costly upgrades to their homes and tenants fear rising rents as a result of such upgrades. Given Berlin鈥檚 acute housing shortage, landlords can easily rent their property, regardless of how renovated and energy efficient they are.

So far, the city government鈥檚 pledges tend to focus on subsidies and conscientious citizens who support the Energiewende 鈥� but observers complain that its measures are toothless. 鈥淚n Berlin the problem is that we have no, or very few, legal tools to pressure people to improve building stock,鈥� Matthias Kr眉mmel, a Berlin specialist at Friends of the Earth Germany () told 91tv. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 yet included climate proofing in our rental laws. Unlike us, other regions already feature concrete climate protection in laws on social housing construction.鈥� Austria鈥檚 capital Vienna and Germany鈥檚 third largest state Baden-W眉rttemberg are examples of places where all public buildings, including those with a 鈥渓isted鈥� status (which offers legal protection to buildings deemed of historic/architectonic value), must adhere to strict climate standards, he said.

Berlin鈥檚 renters can choose their own energy provider, meaning they can shop around and opt for green power.In 2014, a new option emerged in the form of the public utility , one of Germany鈥檚 many municipal utilities, a small but powerful force in its energy landscape. Mollstra脽e, with its solar-panelled roof, is just one example of Berliner Stadtwerke鈥檚 tenants鈥� electricity project, which offers renters the chance to tap into locally produced renewable energy. Berliner Stadtwerke makes up just a slither of Berlin鈥檚 total electricity provision but its ambitions are big, as shown by its city-wide billboard adverts. 鈥淲e use the rooftops of our city to generate clean power right where it's consumed,鈥� reads the slogan alongside a picture of young people on a solar-panelled rooftop gazing at Berlin鈥檚 iconic TV tower.

Berlin鈥檚 growing populationmeans that pressure on resources 鈥� and energy 鈥� is also growing. It is estimated that at least . This poses potential clashes of interest with the city鈥檚 climate protection pledges. For instance, for new housing on the capital鈥檚 biggest green space, the former inner-city airport now called Tempelhofer Feld 鈥� even though citizens have rejected such move in a referendum. Meanwhile, experts fear political calls for affordable rents could deter apartment owners from investing in energy-efficient retrofitting.

Across the city, a number of individuals and companies are moving faster than the state, reflecting a sharp appetite for a climate-orientated rethink. , in the Spandau district, is among the bright spots. The carbon-neutral ice cream manufacturer uses its large solar plant to chill its ice cream and power its electrical delivery lorries, .

Many of the city鈥檚 start-ups are also setting a more ambitious pace. EUREF-Campus, in the Tempelhof district, is a former gas plant which has been revamped into a future-focused, clean-energy hub. Dubbed 鈥溾€�, the start-up and innovation centre has already struck Berlin鈥檚 2050 goal of . And, change is also in the making on other side of the city. When Tegel Airport finally closes to make way for the city鈥檚 new airport in Sch枚nefeld, its operating company plans to swap its millions of CO鈧�-emitting aeroplane passengers for the , a start-up base that will focus on energy and mobility.

But such forward thinking is still a pipe dream for Berlin as a whole. Today, coal remains vital for the city鈥檚 energy consumption, making up of the total energy needed. The on the grid and coal contributes around 40 percent of the capital鈥檚 heat via Berlin鈥檚 extensive district heating network, a system that pumps heat or hot water from a central source 鈥� such as a power station 鈥� to an entire neighbourhood or a group of buildings. Berlin鈥檚 district heating network is the third biggest in Europe after Moscow and Warsaw but it poses both challenges and potential for the Energiewende. Its efficiency as a system, using excess warmth made by power stations or by burning rubbish, makes it a good option for the city in the future, if it is switched to renewables. But that 鈥渋f鈥� is important. 鈥淲e have our work cut out to manage to switch the district heating away from coal to using renewable sources. Here we face a big technical challenge which involves many actors,鈥� said Kr眉mmel, referring to 鈥減ower to x鈥� 鈥� using green electricity to generate the heat.聽 鈥淩ight now, it is the big conundrum. No one is entirely sure how to proceed.鈥�

This echoes a common story of the long-underfunded city administration putting the brakes on the state鈥檚 energy-transition reforms. Partly due to its divided history and its lack of industry, the capital buckles under . Berlin has the dubious accolade of being the 鈥� compared to economic motors like London or Paris.

For decades, administrations have had little scope to tackle pressing issues like decarbonisation and the greening of transport. In theory, this should change following the post-2016 political push for climate protection. Funding finally underpins the city鈥檚 aspirations 鈥� with euros available annually from state coffers for the Berlin climate programme until 2030. But, similar to the city鈥檚 gradual creation of bike lanes, little of this has been tapped, even though applying takes just a few weeks. Delays have been blamed on civil servants with overflowing in-trays. 鈥淭he day-to-day reality are huge delays and backlogs in the local building administration (Bauamt). They are not managing to get the employees. This needs to change if the state鈥檚 climate resolutions are going to happen,鈥� said a city bureaucrat from a Berlin municipality, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Part of the problem lies in the two tiers of government in Berlin. As a city-state, Berlin has both a Senate, which oversees regional politics, and its municipalities, which focus on local issues. Corinna Altenburg, an environmental specialist at the German Institute of Urban Affairs (Difu), said the state needs to tighten its links with its municipalities for effective climate-proofing. 鈥淔ew Berlin districts have their own climate action plan, except for a few forerunners such as (wealthy southwestern suburb) Steglitz-Zehlendorf, nor do they have their own climate action manager,鈥� said Altenburg, who previously worked at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and was involved in developing the city鈥檚 climate programme. However, she emphasised that it 鈥減oints to a good direction鈥� that some of the Senate鈥檚 investment has been earmarked for Berlin鈥檚 long-suffering districts.

And Berlin鈥檚 decarbonisation plan is also inextricably linked with the national government. For example, there has been national wrangling over diesel bans in cities, which directly impacts emission levels on Berlin streets. And there are repeated conflicts between national plans and Berlin鈥檚 laws. For instance, Senator Ramona Pop recently raged about a national move to tweak the energy law, which, by cutting subsidies, would harm Berlin鈥檚 bid to boost solar energy in rental accommodation.

"The federal government is strangling tenant electricity policy (Mieterstrom). We need to expand the tenant flow, instead of stifling it,鈥� , adding that her department would fight to amend the national ruling.

Meanwhile, the city鈥檚 slow progress towards carbon neutrality hits poor Berliners hardest. An official showed how low-income populations take the brunt of car emissions, noise and a lack of green space. Stephanie Groll, from the B枚ll Foundation, suggested that health, alongside the climate, should shape policy. 鈥淪etting up car-free zones on heavily used roads would be a good example,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hose streets are often home to people who can鈥檛 afford to live elsewhere.鈥�

And while Berlin鈥檚 political pledges are big, it remains to be seen how much of the Senate鈥檚 planned revamp of its transport and energy sectors will happen, and how soon. The fact remains that the Berlin climate programme is aimed at a broad cross-section of society. But despite positive exceptions, like Berlin鈥檚 zealous start-ups, Mollstra脽e鈥檚 new solar panels or the fleet of orange rubbish vans which , other key actors are notably quiet on the subject of climate, irking those monitoring the city鈥檚 progress.

鈥淚 would like to see more. I鈥檓 impatient. We have a climate-protection gap in the city,鈥� said BUND鈥檚 Matthias Kr眉mmel. 鈥淎t expert gatherings you see the same people and hear the same message, but when do you hear about it in the newspapers or on Berlin鈥檚 metro? There鈥檚 no talk about climate from the Hertha football team or Berlin鈥檚 Philharmonic Orchestra. Climate protection needs to happen across the board and I don鈥檛 yet see that widespread interest in change.鈥�