Cities and Energy Consulting

Cities and Energy Consulting is a consulting firm based in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded by Dipl. Ing. Stefan Schurig and builds on a global network of independent experts, researchers and consultants. It's focus is on the crosscutting areas between 'climate change', ‘renewable energy’, 'sustainable cities' and ‘public engagement’.

Profile: Stefan Schurig

Dipl. Ing. Stefan Schurig is an architect and urban planner by training and has worked for more than 20 years on renewable energy, sustainable cities and sustainable development. He was the spokesperson and member of the Senior Management Team of Greenpeace in Germany between 1998 and 2007 and until 2017 Climate and Energy Director and Executive Board Member of the World Future Council Foundation (WFC). The WFC is a sister organisation of the Right Livelihood Award, better known as the Alternative Nobel Prize.

Since 2018 Stefan also serves as a Boardmember of Campact (Mitgliederversammlung) on a pro-bono basis and teaches on the Master programme of the University of the Built Environment and Metropolitan Development (HCU) in Hamburg. He writes regularly about climate change related subjects, the challenge to transform cities into ‘regenerative’ systems and on the global transformation of the energy sector.

Stefan established Cities and Energy Consulting in 2017 and serves as the Secretary General of the Foundations Platform (F20), which he helped to establish in 2017

 
"The challenges of global urbanisation trends, the balance between economic interests and ecologic footprints, as well as developing politically feasible solutions have always been at the heart of my professional career."
 

Speeches:

UN Habitat ‘Urban Lecture Series”: From Agropolis to Ecopolis - In this lecture Stefan Schurig talks about the vision of regenerative cities as the greening of the urban environment and the protection of nature from urban expansion, and above else, about the greening of urban systems of production, consumption and construction. Schurig proposes necessities to transform cities into 'regenerative' systems. The case studies presented on urban production, consumption and management of energy, waste, food and water are extracted from World Future Council research and the analysis stems from the most recent WFC report on regenerative cities.
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In conversation with Zachary Shahan, Director Clean Technica, at the Global Learning Forum, Vancoucer, 2015.
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Conversation with the International Renewable Energy Agency on the importance of working on Renewable Energy
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Urban Thinkers Campus with UN Habitat, Prague, about regenerative cities (2016)
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Interviews and media conversations:

Interview in the Cronista Magazin (Argentina) on the renwable energy uptake in Germany (July 2017)
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Interview by Chinas CCTV on the expectation on the G20 summit in Germany (July 2017)
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Interview in DIE ZEIT in Germany about the carbon footprint of cities and the readiness of Hamburg for more bicycle lines (July 2016)
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Guest Contribution at Cleantechnica about the DNA of future energy markets co-authored with Anna Leidreiter (2016)
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Interview in ‘The Beam’ Magazin on the dynamic of renewable energy markets in Europe (2016)
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10 Steps to building a smart city – A conversation featured by The Guardian (2015)
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Interview in the El Pais (Spain) about the concept of a Regenerative City (2015)
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Guest article co-authored with Dipal Barua on costs on renewble energy in the Global South (2015)
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Article about the renewable energy plans in Japan and the consequences of Fukushima
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Publications:

  • Schurig, Stefan; Alliance Magazine (2021): Covid-19 is a global vulnerability experience. Philanthropy can play its part in applying the lessons to climate change
  • Skowron, A., Schurig; S., Green European Journal (11/2020): Fast-tracking Europe`s Energy Transition, Green European Journal
  • Schurig, Stefan, Rohe, S.; Kompetenzzentrum Stadtumbau (2019): Zukunftsplan Städtenetz Sachsen-Anhalt
  • Schurig, S., Leidreiter, A.: World Future Council (June, 2019): (Em)powering Cities in the European Union
  • Chacon, D, Schurig, S.; Climate change News (Juli 2016): Habitat III – we need a new urban climate agenda
  • Schurig, S.; El Pais (October, 2015): “La sostenibilidad a largo plazo es demasiado estática y se ha usado mal“
  • Couture, T; Leidreiter, A; Schurig, S. (September 2014): ‘How to achieve 100% renewable energy’
  • Kiene, A.; Schurig, S.; Berg, P.; Sabido, P. (February, 2013): ‘Powering Africa through Feed-in Tariffs’
  • Schurig, S.; Süddeutsche Zeitung, 15. November 2012; “Verlustangst – Das EEG gefährdet das Monopol großer Energiekonzerne – Bürger profitieren”,
  • Schurig, S. (2012): ‘Wangari Maathai, Baumaktivistin und Nobelpreisträgerin – Ein Portrait’ for Jahrbuch Ökologie 2012, German Environment Foundation
  • Girardet, H., Schurig, S., You, Nicholas (October, 2011): ‘The need to build regenerative cities’, in ‘Urban World, UN HABITAT (Volume IV · Issue 03 )
  • Schurig, S. (2009): ‘Climate Change, the power game still lies ahead’, Renewable Energy World.com; (USA; January 2009),
  • Barzantny, Achner, S., Böhling A., Schurig, S. (2007): ‚Klimaschutz: Plan B - Nationales Energiekonzept bis 2020’ (national energy concept), (Aachen, 2007)
  • Schurig, S.: ‘Krieg gegen die Natur (War against nature)’, in “Der Irak – Krieg, Besetzung, Widerstand” (Iraq – war, occupation, resistance – Köln, Januar, 2004)