City of Munich

The City of Munich is the third-largest city in Germany and the capital city of the State of Bavaria. In 2019, the city set the ambitious goal of reaching climate neutrality by 2035. Since April 2022, the city is a participant of the European Commission’s ‘100 EU climate-neutral and smart cities’ initiative.

„As Deputy Mayor of Munich, I am very proud that our City is one of the 100 climate-neutral and smart cities in the EU’s mission towards a climate neutral continent. Munich will thus have to pioneer in new areas, find new solutions to the challenges of the future and for this we need a pool of bright, well-connected and well-trained people to work with us towards our city‘s climate goals. Climate change affects all levels of government, but it is the cities that will have to bear the biggest burden of implementing the necessary changes. It is therefore the cities that require support from all levels of government, so we can jointly achieve our ambitous goal, for the benefit of us all.”

Bürgermeisterin Katrin Habenschaden

Cooperation, innovation and ambition for a viable transition

The city boasts many start-ups, research institutes and renowned universities. This gives Munich the possibility to test and develop innovations to fight against climate change. The city is a partner of various EU-funded projects, working on smart city mobility & digitalisation, urban development, green infrastructure and climate protection. Recently, in April 2022, the city became a participant of the European Commission’s initiative “100 EU climate-neutral and smart cities“.

Thanks to the Climate Change Act, Munich was the first municipality to create a binding framework for climate-friendly actions. Moreover, a structural framework for climate protection and adaptation was set in 2021 by the city’s Department for Climate and Environmental Protection (RKU, Referat für Klima- und Umweltschutz).

The local civil society was closely involved in the city’s climate strategy through a climate council. In January 2022, the City of Munich further concretised its efforts by providing funding until 2025 for 68 measures to act towards neutrality.

Munich’s energy transition

The third-largest city of Germany has the goal to create climate-neutral and resilient neighbourhoods by 2030.

And one of the key levers of its transition is the decarbonisation of its heating system. The city wants to get rid of oil and natural gas for heating while keeping heating costs socially acceptable.

Therefore, the city ordered thermal studies and technical expertise to design its municipal heating strategy. Since the city was built in the Middle Ages, it also plans to renovate its buildings as another lever to achieve climate neutrality.

Munich believes that renovation is often what paves the way for the integration of renewable energy sources. This is why the city decided to use political and regulatory means to make refurbishment and energy switching easy for homeowners with suitable funding options.

The city provides additional support to homeowners, with proactive energy advice (e.g. on the city’s website). The aim is to help them make the switch and increase the rate and depth of renovations.

Sources: official website of the City of Munich; Expert report ‘Climate Neutral Munich 2035’ by Öko-Institut e.V. (Öko-Institut), HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH (Hamburg Institut) and Intraplan Consult GmbH (Intraplan); stitut, HIC Hamburg Institut Consulting GmbH (Hamburg Institut) and Intraplan Consult GmbH (Intraplan); Energy Cities’ best practices: ‘The integrated action program for climate protection in Munich (IHKM)’; ‘Smart City Munich’