German Council for Sustainable Development Katja Dörner - German Council for Sustainable Development

Three questions for Katja Dörner

Let’s get to it: What does sustainability mean to you? What do you associate with the term?

Katja Dörner: Sustainability for me means shaping our lives and our society across all walks of life in a way that ensures that future generations – our children and their children – can continue to lead a good, self-sufficient life in a socially just society on an unspoiled planet. Not just here in Germany, but all over the world.

What is your personal priority in your work as part of the Council for Sustainable Development?

Local government at both city and municipal level has a central role to play in realising the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. We will only solve global challenges like the climate crisis if all levels of government pull together. As mayor of the city of Bonn, home among other things to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, I will work to improve cooperation at all levels – federal, Länder and local – and to anchor sustainability as a priority and common responsibility.

In the context of sustainability, what do you believe will pose the greatest challenge in the coming years?

I believe the climate crisis is the greatest global challenge of our time. In Germany, we are increasingly feeling the impact of climate change – just think of the historic floods of 2021, which cost many lives and caused widespread damage across Rhineland-Palatinate and North Rhine-Westphalia. Tackling the climate crisis will require a major rethink at all levels. The city of Bonn has set the course for climate neutrality by 2035, and we are currently working on a climate plan to achieve this goal. But we will only succeed if we all – the state, the economy and society – pull together. For me, “Leave no one behind” therefore also means having everyone on board.

Katja Dörner has been a member of the German Council for Sustainable Development since January 2023.

Curriculum vitae

Katja Dörner detailed CV available to download (PDF, 74 KB)

Quote

“We will only solve global challenges like the climate crisis if the state, the economy and society pull together to anchor sustainability as a priority and common responsibility.”

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