Sustainability should be introduced into the public budgets in Herning Municipality, so that a climate budget is prepared alongside the financial budget, where the consequences of the municipality’s purchases and construction are calculated.

What does a climate budget contain? The budget must apply to everything from diaper purchases in daycare institutions, disposable washcloths in elderly care and to building materials in municipal buildings as well as transport. The budget must be prepared in parallel with the financial budget and must show how much the municipality’s purchases burden the climate - and in this way force the administrations to make green purchases.

At the last city council meeting, the city council approved a strategy for the production of renewable energy. This means that Herning Municipality in 2030 must be self-sufficient in electricity and heat with renewable energy produced in the municipality and in 2050 all energy we use in the municipality must be renewable. We in the Social Democrats are pleased with this, but let’s also locate the extraction where the consumption is, for example by setting up solar cells at factories.

We want to keep up with the latest technology and for example look towards new types of bricks, which can be both more environmentally friendly and significantly better for construction as the bricks are stronger, lighter and thinner than traditional bricks. This is a good example of how new technology helps us achieve our climate goals.

We want to focus on the green transition, we are the first generation to see the consequences of climate change, we are also the last generation that can do something about it.

This reader’s letter has been translated from Danish.