As a new season begins and the leaves start to fall, the first edition of KlimaExpo is launched. A perfect opportunity to address a wide range of issues related to climate action and citizen initiatives, and to learn more about where Luxembourg stands. A privileged interview with Thomas Schoos, Government Councillor and Spokesperson to the Minister of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development.
Thomas, you are organizing the 1st National Climate Action and Citizen Initiatives Fair. Why did you decide to organize this great event?
The climate crisis is certainly among the biggest challenges of our time. It is a challenge we face as a global community, but at the same time most of the efforts must be undertaken on the local, regional and national levels. It is a challenge for governments, for communes and municipalities, for companies, but the binding element in all this concerns us as citizens. Like the way we imagine our lives and the choices we make as consumers. In this sense, it was clear to us, that the discussion in Luxembourg about climate action would benefit greatly from a larger and freer platform where all stakeholders could meet and exchange views on the best way to move forward. That’s how the idea of KlimaExpo was born.
What do you expect from such an event?
Above all, we hope to create a sense of togetherness. The climate crisis is not the problem of a specific group or sector. We’re all in it together. And we must give more visibility to the solutions and to the voices of change.
“We’re currently working on a new climate pact with industry, intended to streamline the many good efforts that are already coming out of this sector.”
What will be the highlights of this KlimaExpo?
KlimaExpo is free for all visitors throughout the weekend. There will be around 30 stands of climate actors as well as a plethora of workshops, presentations and mini-conference on various aspects of the climate topic. There will also be a 4D immersive space that will allow visitors to approach climate change in a different way. On top of this, the exhibition “Climate Countdown – the road to 2050” will present faces, figures and the latest findings on climate change in Luxembourg in an exhibition displayed at the fair for the very first time. After KlimaExpo, the exhibition will travel to lobbies and halls of various companies and institutions throughout the country during a year.
Climate issues are on everyone’s lips. What are the notable initiatives in Luxembourg?
Luxembourg has voted its very first climate law in December of 2020. This law makes the fight against the climate crisis a legal obligation and defines the targets to be reached by 2030 as well as the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. The national energy and climate plan (NECP) – or PNEC in French – specifies the large array of tools, actions and incentives that will be pave the way to climate neutrality.
Among the most widely known of these are Luxembourg’s new carbon price, the massive rollout of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, the electrification of cars, buses and trucks, the renovation of buildings with the aim to make them more energy efficient, the implication of communes through the climate pact and the gradual system change in agriculture towards a more sustainable, climate friendly farming and food culture.
What new initiatives are coming in Luxembourg?
We’re currently working on a new climate pact with industry, intended to streamline the many good efforts that are already coming out of this sector. At the KlimaExpo fair, we are also kickstarting the 2 new climate governance institutions that have been called into life through Luxembourg’s climate law.
Firstly, there is the new platform on climate and energy that will bring together representatives from all levels of society and will have different working groups on specific aspects of climate change. Secondly, there is the climate observatory composed of climate scientists from Luxembourg and abroad, that will closely monitor climate and climate policy developments in Luxembourg over time.
These are only a few of the initiatives that are underway in the excitingly dynamic field of climate policy. To learn more, we most kindly invite you to join us at KlimaExpo from next Friday to Monday at LuxExpo!
