'Finding solutions together'
With the help of randomly selected citizens, the city of Bonn wants to reach the aim of net-zero emissions by 2035. Steffen Krenzer observed the process of the Bonn Climate Forum. Here is his report.
In 2019, the Bonn City Council had already decided that the federal city should reach net-zero emissions by 2035 at the latest. This decision was preceded by the fact that FridaysForFuture and other climate groups had made the issue of climate protection visible in political discussions through their demonstrations and had applied for the declaration of a climate emergency in 2019. Some time later, the SPD motion on the new climate target was approved by almost all factions in the city council.
Net-zero emissions cannot be decreed
The members of the Transition Town Initiative "Bonn im Wandel" (Bonn in Transition) had welcomed this goal, which was very ambitious by German standards. At the same time, it was clear to them that net-zero emissions cannot be decreed. It needs citizen participation, cooperation and good interaction between all actors, ideas and a well thought-out climate plan.
With the support of the city administration and local government and with the backing of more than 70 initiatives and organisations they launched Bonn4Future, a large-scale process in which loose participation also plays an important role.
Four climate forums
On 10 September 2022, the fourth and, for the time being, last Climate Forum came to a close. The citizens' action plan for a liveable and net-zero Bonn was handed over to Lord Mayor Katja Dörner. Exactly one year earlier, the process had started with the 1st Climate Forum, which dealt with images of the future.
More than 200 randomly selected citizens, around 50 stakeholders from civil society, organisations and business, as well as over 40 representatives from the administration, had developed a climate action plan over a period of two years. It describes what needs to be done from the citizens' point of view to make Bonn climate-neutral and liveable. The visually appealing images of the future, which were captured using the "graphic recording" method, served as orientation for two further forums that took place at the same time in June 2022.
Climate Action Plan
The focus of these forums was on how net-zero housing and climate-neutral mobility can be achieved. Finally, Climate Forum 4 dealt with the development of the Climate Action Plan, which contains a concrete plan including milestones and first important steps in seven thematic fields.
The topics were both areas with high carbon savings potential, e.g. "transport", and those that are important for a social transformation, such as "awakening and cultural change". The design of the overall process was based on transformation theories and formats from urban development (backcasting): It started with the vision, from which (backward) planning was undertaken. As is usual in citizens' assemblies, the participants were supported by experts in the field as well as by professional facilitators.
Special features of the process
Compared to other, meanwhile numerous, examples of sortition-based, deliberative processes on the topic of climate protection, Bonn4Future had some special features. These are interesting, especially for the discussion on how climate assemblies can be designed in the future to contribute as much as possible to climate protection.
Randomly selected and invited participants discussed together. This served primarily to include the experiences and perspectives of actors from institutions, initiatives and organisations, but also to facilitate the transfer of the results into civil society and thus their implementation.
"Everyone" was addressed
In the climate forums, recommendations were not only formulated for the city council, as is usually the case, but instead "everyone" was addressed: The city of Bonn, the citizenry, businesses, media professionals, the federal government and the state. In addition, projects and ideas were also developed whose implementation can be driven forward by citizens. This was based on the understanding that not only politicians are responsible for the change towards net-zero, but ultimately all citizens of Bonn. The first project ideas from the 2nd and 3rd Climate Forum have already been tackled.
The design of the process was developed in a consultative process with experts and interest groups and originates from "Bonn im Wandel". The implementation was also mainly in the hands of the association. It was carried out in close cooperation with the city, which has contractually committed itself to certain cooperation services. This includes, for example, the random selection of participants and the provision of expert knowledge by public offices.
High funding amount
The city had provided an unprecedented amount of money for the participation project, from which about three positions could be financed for two and a half years. Of the total funding amount (719,000 euros), further measures are financed in addition to the four climate forums, for example the establishment of a local sustainability platform.
Without the support of volunteers and many overtime hours or unpaid contributions from Bonn in Transition, the project would not have been possible, but the model of the city financing project positions for a participatory process may be interesting for other cities.
Enthusiasm flows into process organisation
The big advantage was that the work of the initiators was at least partially financially appreciated and at the same time the great motivation and enthusiasm of the initiators could flow into the process organisation - an effect that is usually not achieved when the organisation is taken over by the administration or service providers.
The fact that local politics, above all Lord Mayor Katja Dörner, appreciated the process has contributed significantly to the good functioning of the project. The relationship between "Bonn im Wandel" and the city of Bonn was not a client-contractor relationship. Civil society and the city worked together according to the concept of action learning: after each climate forum, reflection workshops took place and central decisions were made jointly.
Non-partisan agreement
This is not a matter of course, because the project had already been decided on before the previous municipal election and in the meantime a different majority determines council policy. The apparent cross-party support for the project was very welcome.
The active participation of employees of the administration in the process, for example in the preparation of information, was striking. At the last forum in particular, more than 40 people from the administration were present as observers, input providers or participants in discussions and were thus able to experience the process directly and help shape it.
Scientific support
Parallel to the participation programme, the City of Bonn had commissioned a consortium to produce a plan that sheded light on the path to net-zero from a scientific perspective. Even if the dovetailing of climate forums and the scientific report did not function optimally, the basic procedure of mutually complementing scientific plans and plans for climate protection topics drawn up in participation programmes certainly makes sense.
For many citizens' assemblies, the question arises as to who bears the responsibility after the last meeting for "keeping up", making the results known and implementing them. Formally, the responsibility lies with the addressees. However, it has been shown that citizens' reports easily get lost in the daily routine of politics and administration, even if there is interest in principle.
Promising model
The Bonn model - an initiative directly involved in the organisation, the inclusion of participants from the urban society, that were not randomly selected and the strong participation of the administration - seemed promising and give hope that many of the results will receive attention and be implemented.
Bonn4Future is a pioneering project, not only for Bonn but also for other municipalities. Gesa Maschkowski, who developed the Bonn4Future process, emphasises: "No one knows how we are going to manage the huge changes towards climate neutrality - and that is why we are here trying to find solutions together. We are not 100 per cent perfect and we can fail. But we can already start today to deal better with each other and with this earth."
Mammoth task
Keeping track of the many threads of the overall process, actors involved and issues addressed is a mammoth task, with always room for improvement: For example, public awareness for the process was relatively low - which also had to do with low resources for public relations.
Participants also seemed overwhelmed in some places with the multitude of possible types of results. Also, as is always the case with such processes, there was not enough time to cover everything that would have been interesting. Nevertheless, the organisers and participants were extremely satisfied with what had been achieved. Ever since then it is time to put the encouraging project ideas and recommendations for climate action in Bonn into practice.
What happened next?
On 23 March 2023, the city council had given the administration a comprehensive mandate. It had to examine: Which recommendations from the 37 action plans of the Climate Forum can be incorporated into measures that already exist in the climate plan? And which are so new and innovative that new activities have to be started for them? Since this task is very extensive, a coordination office within the city administration is to accompany the examination and implementation of the recommendations from the Bonn4Future process in the future.
The Chair of the Civic Participation Committee, Florian Schaper (Greens) said in the Council meeting: "We must perceive Bonn4Future as a real showcase process and as an example of civil society engagement!" Dr. Ursula Sautter (CDU), second mayor of the city of Bonn, stated: "I was able to attend several Bonn4Future events. It was an exemplary citizen participation process that we should use as a basis for future similar projects".
Substantial incorporation of the recommendations
The recommendations from the four Bonn Climate Forums were partially implemented and incorporated to a significant extent into the city’s climate policy. The forums produced 37 climate action plans covering housing and energy, transport, food, the economy, nature, as well as education and public participation.
Around 30 proposals were not yet included in the Climate Plan originally drawn up by experts. In 2024, the citizens’ recommendations were incorporated into the work programme of the Bonn Climate Plan.
Climate Districts
Implementation is particularly evident in the Climate Districts: four districts now have local contact points for advice, public participation and climate protection; the city explicitly cites Bonn4Future as the basis for this. Further recommendations have demonstrably been incorporated into permanent participatory structures, climate partnerships with businesses and climate education. Progress has also been made in district heating planning and energy advice.
Other demands, particularly in the area of regional and sustainable food supply, remain outstanding. There is no ongoing public assessment of individual recommendations categorised as ‘fully implemented’, ‘partially implemented’ or ‘not implemented’, meaning that a reliable implementation rate cannot be stated.
List of demands for the 2025 local elections
On 26 August 2025, Bonn im Wandel and Students for Future presented a list of demands for the local elections on 14 September 2025. It is based on the recommendations from the Bonn Climate Forums. Politicians should set a good example and work together in the face of the crisis.
The authors of the future paper state: We are on the right track. Bonn has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than twice as much as in previous years. But it is not enough. According to the climate plan, we need to move seven times faster if we want to become independent of fossil fuels in Bonn in time. Above all, communication must improve, as the participants at Bonn4Future have already noted.
‘Good Citizen Participation’ award
On 18 October 2024, the participation project was honoured the ‘Good Citizen Participation’ award. The reason: "'Bonn4Future - We for the Climate' aimed to make Bonn climate-neutral by 2035. In broad-based climate forums with randomly selected citizens, stakeholders and administrators, a climate action plan was developed that describes, from the participants' perspective, how the transformation to a climate-neutral and liveable city can be achieved. The participation process thus contributes to the urgently needed socio-ecological transformation. This can only succeed if we work together and have positive visions of the future. In this respect, Bonn4Future offers inspiration for other cities and further civil society initiatives."
About the author: Steffen Krenzer works for Mehr Demokratie on the topics of citizens' assemblies and "climate protection and democracy", among others, and was able to observe the process at Bonn4Future from close quarters as a participating expert.