The project's objective is to identify potential options for action and to name concrete areas of activities in the field of transport, which are able to considerably contribute to reduce traffic-induced CO2-emissions in Cologne and thereby contribute to meet the national and regional climate protection targets. An energy balance and a CO2-balance that can be updated continuously are generated for Cologne's transport sector to describe the status quo and to allow benchmarking with other cities. Additionally, all measures to reduce traffic-induced CO2-emission, which have been carried out in Cologne's transport sector since 1990 or which are currently being implemented, are compiled and systemised. Based on the collection of climate protection activities and measures, additional climate protection measures are identified that are suitable to create further CO2 reduction potentials. For this purpose, example measures from other municipalities are examined with regard to their transferability to the city of Cologne and where appropriate ideas are adapted to specific regional conditions.

Based on the preliminary work a reference scenario is developed. This scenario presents in a quantitatively manner the development of traffic-induced CO2-emissions in Cologne by 2020. All measures completed since 1990 or currently being implemented are incorporated in the reference scenario. In addition, a climate protection scenario is developed, which takes the effects of additional measures into account assuming their successful implementation.