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Reaching Climate Neutrality for the Hamburg Economy by 2040

image of Reaching Climate Neutrality for the Hamburg Economy by 2040

Reaching climate neutrality requires economic transformations of unprecedented scale and speed. Immediate action from the business community can avoid unnecessary costs, create wellbeing co-benefits and prepare local businesses with a better competitive position in the future climate neutral economy. This report shows what reaching climate neutrality by 2040 means for Hamburg businesses and identifies key actions they need to undertake. It provides insights where the Hamburg economy and its businesses stand on the way to climate neutrality and on their needs to advance, drawing on a business survey. The study also shares insights from action plans of selected comparison cities. It points to cross-sector as well as to sector-specific challenges and opportunities for Hamburg businesses. This includes making better use of low-cost renewables, addressing energy efficiency in buildings as well as challenges and opportunities in activities in and around the port and in industry. It highlights Hamburg's potential as a hydrogen hub as well as the need to adopt circular economy practices. It illustrates that a regional and business perspective are necessary to achieve climate neutrality in prosperity, requiring individual and collective business action.

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Making climate neutrality operational

Chapter 1 aims to make the 2040 climate neutrality target of the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce operational. This chapter starts with laying out what climate neutrality means for Hamburg businesses, providing the national and regional context of climate targets and drawing on international best practice recommendations. The chapter examines available data on greenhouse gas emissions, energy use and the sectoral composition of Hamburg’s economy. Net-zero targets and action plans of other industrial port cities – Rotterdam, Stockholm and Seattle – with similar decarbonisation challenges offer valuable insights for identifying obstacles and opportunities in the transition to climate neutrality. Finally, the chapter highlights the potential co-benefits of local climate action for well-being and competitiveness, which can exceed the transition costs. It showcases how rapid progress in the decarbonisation of urban passenger transport can deliver such benefits.

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