Creating 47,000 Multipliers via the Climate City Contract

This agreement brings together a wide range of stakeholders from the local community to support Aachen on its way to becoming a climate-neutral city by 2030. RWTH Rector Professor Ulrich Rüdiger talks to us about the University's commitment to this cause.

Why is RWTH a partner in the Climate City Contract?

We see it as our responsibility, and we want to take on this role. The city and RWTH are closely intertwined – the University is an important part of Aachen and takes up a significant area of the city, while also possibly being the city’s largest energy consumer. The goal of being a climate-neutral city by 2030 must be our common goal, otherwise it cannot be achieved.

What are your expectations from the contract?

I hope we will achieve synergies between the many activities and different stakeholders. We can learn a lot from each other and achieve a great deal by working together.

And why is RWTH a premium partner?

Because we are very dedicated to this cause.

It is a fairly demanding commitment, especially regarding the climate-neutral city by 2030 goal.

That’s true and it's a big challenge, but we’re not shy about setting ambitious goals and are extremely motivated to achieve this goal. RWTH has been researching and teaching on relevant topics such as energy, electromobility, the circular economy, heat pumps, battery storage, and hydrogen technology, to name just a few, for a long time. We need to act now, but we also need to educate those who will play an important role in these ideas coming to fruition in the future. We have 47,000 multipliers through our students – with a third coming from countries all around the world. This is how our local action becomes global action.

– Author: Niels Knippertz