Dr. Holthausen (ECB) made no secret of this: according to her, financial institutions as investors, insurers and players on the new, “green” capital markets, are playing a key role in greening the economy. That’s why the ECB had set itself the goal of identifying, assessing and managing climate risks for the financial system.

Energy transition expert Dr. Metz highlighted the challenges and opportunities in three different investment areas – electrification, circular economy and carbon cycle – which allow the industrial sector to contribute to a quick decarbonization. However, she also made it clear that the necessary political conditions to support the industry in its transformation and put it on course for climate neutrality were still insufficient in many areas.

Astrid Wuttke, partner at the Frankfurt architectural practice schneider+schumacher , presented new approaches in the construction industry, making the possible climate protection effects of strategic changes very concrete and comprehensible.

She argued that the so-called “Building Transformation” – in the sense of focusing on refurbishment – offered considerable potential in that regard – for one thing, because the “gray energy” contained in existing buildings remained tied up in a targeted manner and, for another, because effective reductions in carbon emissions could be achieved even with simple and therefore cost-effective refurbishment measures.