Wiesbaden (dpa/lhe) - In 2020, the Hessian state administration reduced its emissions of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide by almost 65 percent compared to 2008. Finance Minister Michael Boddenberg (CDU) and Environment Minister Priska Hinz (Greens) announced in Wiesbaden that around 300,000 tons of CO2 had been saved compared to the starting balance, mainly because of different work processes in the corona pandemic. "We are well on the way to achieving our self-imposed goal of a climate-neutral Hessian administration by 2030."
Due to the corona pandemic, many employees worked from home in 2020, conferences and meetings took place via video link. "Business trips have fallen accordingly, as have CO2 emissions," explained Boddenberg. Business air travel was reduced by almost 90 percent and business trips by private car by around 40 percent. Overall, the state administration’s mobility-related emissions fell by a good third in 2020 compared to the previous year.
"We will see in the coming years how these effects will affect the long term," said the finance minister. The pandemic has triggered a process of change here. The CO2 footprint of the Hessian state administration for 2008 was estimated by FutureCamp Climate GmbH at around 476,000 tons. The current balance for 2020 takes into account around 2000 buildings and around 107,200 employees.
