The event was opened by Andreas Kochs (Managing Director of Euregio Rhine-Waal) and Hubert Bruls, Chairman of Euregio Rhine-Waal. In an inspiring speech, the Mayor of Nijmegen and Euregio Chairman emphasised the importance of cross-border cooperation and the common goal of making cities liveable and climate-proof.
After an exciting presentation by Guido Halbig (RDir a.D., former German Weather Service and former head of the Regional Climate Office in Essen) on climate change from a scientific perspective, those present were well prepared to engage in discussions on the local effects of climate change and the various approaches to climate adaptation in cities.
From innovative collaborations between twin cities as climate twins and international projects for cooling and preventing heat islands in cities, to very concrete municipal measures such as innovative park management and a tree canopy coverage standard, the symposium showed how versatile and actionable the approaches can be. In the panel discussions, chaired by Helmut Hardt (StadQuadrat), the cities and other participants deepened the exchange on challenges and solutions.
The 100,000+toZero project is made possible by the Interreg Germany-Netherlands programme and its programme partners and is co-financed by the European Union (EU).
(DeepL Translation)