International Climate Protection

Climate protection and the energy transition play out at the local level – but they can only be successful if we think in global terms. That’s why expanding international partnerships and fostering international business relationships are crucial to helping North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) make a relevant contribution to achieving international climate targets and the shared goal of a global energy transition.

NRW.Energy4Climate fosters the exchange of best practices and expertise around energy and climate issues by taking part in international partnerships, coalitions and delegation visits. We also support actors in the energy sector in NRW – primarily start-ups and SMEs – as they work to establish themselves on international markets. Foreign trade activities at NRW.Energy4Climate include participating in professional events and organising foreign trips for entrepreneurs with a focus on various topics in the field of energy and climate protection. These activities provide companies with independent information on international markets that have current and future growth potential and help them make contacts with new business partners. NRW.Energy4Climate also attends trade fairs in Germany and abroad, where we showcase innovative solutions from NRW together with our stakeholders and identify ideas and partners for local projects by speaking directly with others.

As a state agency, NRW.Energy4Climate enters into partnerships and coalitions with actors at the international level. Our aim here is to strengthen information sharing on a multinational basis and secure international partnerships – particularly regarding hydrogen and its derivatives as well as a sustainable approach to coal and CO₂ – and safeguard raw materials for the energy transition in the long term.

International climate protection

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia aims to drive climate protection efforts at the international level by playing an active role in peer learning and exchange in the political sphere in particular. Related activities include serving as a founding member of the steering group of the Under2Coalition, an international network for climate protection at the subnational level. The state agency will represent the goals and interests of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia at events focusing on energy and climate protection topics at the federal and EU level.

In addition, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has established a new centre for climate education with the UN Climate Change secretariat in Bonn. The Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) Hub gears its offer towards youth and training networks as well as managers in the public and private sector, and is set to make a key contribution to the training of international experts. NRW.Energy4Climate will also be supporting the state government in implementing this project.