48 Swedish Cities - Together Towards Climate Neutral Cities

Climate Contract 2030 is signed by the mayors of the 2030-cities and directors general from six national government agencies as well as Viable Cities programme director. Photographer: Fredrik Persson

48 Swedish cities, which represents more than half of Sweden's population, are now gathering forces for the climate transition from local to global level. During European Viable Cities Day, the mayors from the cities, directors general from six national government agencies, representatives from the European Commission, other Swedish and international key players gathered to strengthen the mobilization for the climate transition across national borders.

At the beginning of the week, it became clear that Viable Cities' initiative Climate Neutral Cities 2030 is scaling up considerably. The 23 2030-cities are now joined by another 25 Swedish municipalities. They are taking it upon themselves to take the lead in the climate transition and pave the way for many others to join, both in Sweden and around the world. European Viable Cities Day, 6th of December this year, is the bridge between the Swedish, European and global efforts towards the mission of climate neutral and sustainable cities by 2030.

– A good life for everyone within the boundaries of the planet is not something you achieve on your own. It requires working together. Within Viable Cities and Climate Neutral Cities 2030, we challenge boundaries of political parties, geographical boundaries and other barriers. We agree, despite our differences, on an important task, perhaps our most important task so far. We get to know each other and learn from each other, which creates optimism and action that accelerates the transition. A change that we in Östersund believe is the future and want to be a part of, says Niklas Daoson (S), Mayor of Östersund.

During the day, there were international guests as well as representatives of industry, academia, public sector and civil society. Sweden's new EU Commissioner Jessika Roswall also participated during the day, in the first week of her role as Commissioner.

– The European Commission has long been driving a green transition in Europe. The cities' contribution is crucial for the transition and for meeting the climate challenge. We support that work, among other things, within the EU's Cities Mission. I am convinced that Viable Cities' initiative with the 2030-cities will continue to inspire many Swedish and European cities to contribute to the transition, says Annika Wäppling Korzinek, head of the European Commission's representation in Sweden.

– This is a starting point for a major upscaling of climate change in cities, both in Sweden and internationally. More and more people are getting involved in driving the local transition work in our cities, not least the business community who see business opportunities. The climate transition will be a way to future-proof a good quality of life today and tomorrow for everyone who lives and works locally, says Olga Kordas, Viable Cities program manager.

– Cities that gather strength and lead the way help us keep the lead in the climate issue. The high demands and ambitions we have had in Sweden have been a success factor for Swedish industry and climate transition. We welcome even more cities with high climate ambitions to help us sharpen the competitiveness of business, says Jennie Cato, Global Director of Public Affairs at Scania.

An important part of the European Viable Cities Day is the annual signing of the Climate City Contract 2030. The mayors of the cities and the directors-general of six national government agencies manifest in a ceremony the joint gathering of forces for accelerating the climate transition.

– The Swedish Energy Agency's journey within the Climate City Contract 2030 has shown that the interaction between different levels is central, but also challenging. During the year, the work with Viable Cities and the 2030-cities in the policy lab on municipal energy planning and energy communities has given us valuable insights. By taking advantage of the possibilities of digitization, continuing to develop our working methods and common calculation methods, a sustainable transformation of our cities and communities can be accelerated, says Caroline Asserup, Acting Director General of the Energy Agency.

– I am very happy that Kristianstad is signing the Climate City Contract 2030 for the third time and in the version of 2024 we clearly show that we are increasing our ambitions. That all municipalities generously share their experiences is invaluable and by doing so we avoid reinventing the wheel time and time again. The Climate City Contract is important for Kristianstad's work because it is an educational and open collaboration. The climate contracts also show that when there are many of us driving climate change, we will be able to gain traction, says Camilla Palm (M), Mayor of Kristianstad.

European Viable Cities Day – which is organized by the EU Commission's representation in Sweden and Viable Cities – is a bridge between all the work happening in Sweden and the EU mission of climate-neutral and sustainable cities.

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Climate City Contract 2030. The first contracts were signed in 2020 by nine Swedish mayors. By 2024, there were 23 municipalities signing: Borås, Borlänge, Enköping, Eskilstuna, Gävle, Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Järfälla, Kalmar, Karlstad, Kristianstad, Linköping, Lund, Malmö, Mariestad, Nacka, Skellefteå, Stockholm, Umeå, Uppsala, Växjö, Örebro and Östersund. At the national level the Climate City Contract 2030 is signed by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova – Sweden's Innovation Agency, Formas – Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, the Swedish Transport Administration and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, as well as Viable Cities. Today, the additional 25 Swedish cities are signing a Letter of Intent and begin the work towards signing the Climate City Contract in 2025. Together the cities represent 50 percent of the Swedish population.

Contact Viable Cities: Madeleine Bergman, madeleine.bergman@viablecities.se

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Viable Cities is a Swedish strategic innovation programme and national platform for climate neutral and sustainable cities. Within the initiative Climate Neutral Cities 2030 – and with the governance tool Climate City Contract 2030 – 48 Swedish municipalities and six government agencies are now jointly working within the programme to accelerate the climate transition. Viable Cities work in close collaboration with the European Mission towards Climate Neutral and Smart Cities 2030. The programme is jointly funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas.  

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