On Sunday, 26 March, Berliners will head to the polls to determine our hometown’s climate future. This “Volksentscheid”, or referendum, has been brought about by us, the citizen’s initiative Klimaneustart Berlin. We worked tirelessly for 18 months to collect a total of 300,000 signatures and thereby force the Berlin senate to hold this referendum, and we are now spearheading the “Yes” campaign.
If 25% of Berlin’s population, or 608,000 people, vote Ja on 26 March, the target date for Berlin to be carbon-neutral will change from 2045 to 2030. This will be a legally binding change to Berlin’s existing Climate protection law. In addition, the law will be changed to safeguard social justice in the transition to a net zero city, and there will be a 95% reduction of all greenhouse gases, not just CO2.
As shown by studies from the Frauenhofer Institut and the Energy Watch Group, 2030 carbon-neutrality is an ambitious but achievable, and above all necessary and worthwhile, target for this historical city. We believe Berlin will be healthier, more future-orientated and better off financially in the long term if the referendum is passed on 26 March. We are also convinced that a resounding Ja! will re-establish people’s faith in the Volksentscheid as a tool for direct democracy, especially given the dire warnings about the climate issued in the last few days.
To be eligible to vote, you must be a German citizen, a resident of Berlin, and above 18 years of age. If you are all these things, we urge you to vote YES/JA on March 26th at your local voting station, which you can find here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1FRlbyP-SN4Kr2HBlVbeyVa-b7-zdL0Q&ll=52.513194324415124%2C13.45246430136719&z=11.
If you can’t vote, there is still a lot you can do to help us mobilise support so we can reach 608,000 Yes votes. Please come along to our Demonstration with Live Music at the Brandenburg Gate on Saturday (2pm-8pm, more info here), and also to our Mass Bike Tour of Berlin on Sunday, the day of the vote (more information on the Telegram groups below). Also, before the weekend you could do us a huge favour by posting about the vote on LinkedIn, or any social media network you use, with the help of this fantastic document courtesy of Leaders For Climate Action.
You can also support the campaign
- by reminding all your eligible-voter friends to vote with Ja! Try to reach out to at least 5 people!
- by volunteering via these Telegram groups:
- by making use of our social media kit.
- by donating here–
- by following us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
To find out more, please head here, or message Klimaneustart’s International Outreach Officer at +4917686096878.
