Scientific Climate Council of the State of Brandenburg: ‘Climate protection is important for Brandenburg's future viability’

The task of the independent, scientific Climate Council is to support the implementation process for the climate plan. This involves the regular review of implementation progress and the further development of measures. With their expertise, the twelve scientists cover all fields of action of the climate plan. In this first statement, the WKB would like to use a few examples to illustrate that the medium and long-term benefits of important climate protection and adaptation measures will significantly exceed the short-term costs. Brandenburg's future viability is directly linked to the implementation of the climate plan.
Energy and hydrogen economy

Energy and hydrogen economy

• Implementation of the Energy Strategy 2040, in particular the consistent expansion of renewable energies: This will enable the state to have a secure, future-proof energy supply, which is increasingly needed and demanded by industrial companies and is already a decisive locational advantage today. The climate plan emphasises that the municipalities and citizens should derive significant economic benefits from this expansion.
• Development of the Lusatia region into a leading model region for the transition from a fossil-based to a completely renewable energy supply (‘Net Zero Valley Lusatia’): this will enable an industrial perspective to emerge again for the region directly affected by structural change.

Climate-neutral industry

• Investments in renewable industrial processes and comprehensive carbon management: together with the state's industrial strategy, the climate plan promotes medium and long-term competitiveness in Brandenburg.

Heat transition, construction and housing

• Implementing the heating transition for climate protection and affordable housing: together with the state's energy strategy, the climate plan paves the way for the socially acceptable energy-efficient refurbishment of fossil-fuelled buildings. Technologically mature and increasingly geothermal heat pumps play an important role here.
• Expansion of district heating and development of deep geothermal energy: The example of Potsdam shows that a secure heat supply at stable prices can be made possible in the future, even in densely built-up old neighbourhoods where there are hardly any other options for a climate-neutral heat supply. This makes the provision of additional capacity for peak loads in winter less necessary and can therefore help to reduce the cost of heat supply.

Transport and mobility

• Electric mobility and a stronger range of environmentally friendly public transport, cycling and walking options: together with the climate plan, the state's mobility strategy is paving the way for improved mobility in rural regions and in the connection between urban and rural areas. Electric vehicles can be charged throughout the country. To this end, charging points are being installed in the cities and the electricity grids are being upgraded. Public transport forms the basis for an intermodal transport system that also integrates cycling and walking routes. Mobility stations with park & ride facilities will be set up at interchange points.
• The consumption of finite resources by transport is reduced and the quality of life increases - through more opportunities for participation for people threatened by mobility poverty and improvements in noise, accidents and pollutants.
• There are also opportunities for social and regional cohesion as well as new impetus for local value creation in the vehicle industry, the mobility sector and the electricity sector.

Agriculture, land use and forestry

• Climate-adapted and low-emission agriculture: By implementing the climate plan, agriculture in Brandenburg can play a leading role in the development of new production methods that combine climate adaptation and climate protection. The creation of hedges and other landscape elements not only stores carbon, but also protects against increasing erosion as a result of increasingly frequent extreme weather events. A skilful combination of agriculture and ground-mounted solar systems can create new regional income opportunities.
• New utilisation possibilities on rewetted moorland: The combination of paludiculture with the development of value-added networks for material biomass use and renewable energies can promote the implementation of the goals from the peatland protection programme and the low water strategy of the state of Brandenburg.
• Comprehensive peatland protection in forests and open land stores carbon, stabilises the water balance and preserves valuable ecosystems. The climate plan thus also supports the Biodiversity Action Programme.
• Converting Brandenburg's forests into climate-resilient and site-appropriate mixed forests helps to maintain carbon storage in Brandenburg's forests, improve the landscape water balance and increase the recreational value and attractiveness for tourists.

Greenhouse gas-neutral state administration and municipal climate protection

• Long-term relief for public budgets: Investing in climate protection measures in refurbishment and modernisation based on renewable energies can make public budgets crisis-proof in the long term.
• Health-promoting and sustainable nutrition in communal catering: in line with Brandenburg's nutrition strategy and the state's ‘Good Healthy Schools’ programme, the climate plan promotes climate-friendly communal catering in state-owned canteens and schools. In addition to climate protection, this also makes an important contribution to improving public health and reducing healthcare costs.

With the goal of net-zero emissions by 2045, the climate plan offers Brandenburg's economy and society a clear, long-term and reliable perspective for jointly shaping the future and thus counteracts increasing uncertainty among the population.
The swift, comprehensive and socially balanced implementation of the climate plan lays the foundations for an economically successful, liveable and socially just Brandenburg, both for present and future generations. The climate plan is therefore a central political instrument of the future state government.

Members of the scientific Climate Council (WKB) of the State of Brandenburg:

Prof Dr Hermann Lotze-Campen (Chair) (PIK - Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Prof. Dr Sophia Becker (RIFS - Research Institute for Sustainability - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam and Technische Universität Berlin)
Dr Oliver Bens (GFZ - Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - German Research Centre for Geosciences)
Prof. Dr. Andreas Bolte (Thünen Institute of Forest Ecosystems and University Göttingen)
Prof Dr David Bruhn (Fraunhofer IEG (Cottbus) and TU Delft (Netherlands))
Prof Dr Bernd Hirschl (BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg and IÖW - Institute for Ecological Economy Research)
Prof. Dr Meike Jipp (DLR - German Aerospace Center) (until autumn 2025 represented by:
Prof. Dr Gernot Liedtke, DLR - German Aerospace Centre, Institute of Transport Research, TU Berlin)
Prof Dr Roh Pin Lee (BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg)
Prof. Dr Gunnar Lischeid (ZALF - Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research and University of Potsdam)
Prof Dr Annette Prochnow (ATB - Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Prof Dr Michael Prytula (Potsdam University of Applied Sciences (FHP))
Dr Katja Schumacher (Öko-Institut, Institute for Applied Ecology (Berlin)