Radical Implementation for Climate Neutral Cities
With seven years left to achieve the mission of climate-neutral cities by 2030, radical implementation is required. In 23 Swedish pioneer cities, numerous efforts are currently underway, contributing in various ways to the transition. Local businesses are mobilising alongside municipalities, new ways to govern and lead the transition are being developed, innovative solutions that significantly reduce emissions are spreading, and climate ideas from citizens are becoming a reality. On European Viable Cities Day, December 8, successes are celebrated, and upcoming efforts for the climate are sharpened.
From Skellefteå in the north to Malmö in the south, involving large cities like Stockholm and rural municipalities like Mariestad, many actors are rallying for climate transition. Within Viable Cities, 23 cities representing 40 per cent of Sweden's population, along with six national government agencies, are working to lead the way in climate transition and pave the way for many others to follow. The Swedish Climate City Contract 2030 is a tool to continuously and long-term raise ambitions together, and on December 8, the cities and government agencies will sign version 2023.
– One year ago, Borås Municipality signed the Climate City Contract 2030 for the first time. During the year, we have developed valuable partnerships, for example, with the real estate and construction sector. Through our collaborative efforts in the initiative Climate Neutral Borås 2030, we have engaged in several dialogues with both residents and the business community. We have formulated a green economic framework that enables Borås Municipality to finance sustainable investments, says Ulf Olsson (S), Mayor of Borås.
Cities' efforts are spreading
Cities' efforts span all areas and involve an increasing number of organizations. And they are being replicated. Cities within Viable Cities "glance and steal" from each other to accelerate the pace of the local transition journey. Everyone in society needs to work in new ways to succeed. Different models are rapidly developing, such as local climate agreements. This year, nearly 400 companies are mobilizing alongside municipalities in Umeå, Malmö, Karlstad, Gävle, Helsingborg, Kristianstad, Linköping, Eskilstuna, Borlänge, and Uppsala.
New solutions that drastically reduce emissions are spreading: for example, a 50 per cent lower electricity consumption in Örebro's municipally-owned housing company ÖBo, digital support to encourage climate-smart commuting in Borlänge, and more wood as building material in cities like Skellefteå and Växjö.
Many of the efforts simultaneously yield other benefits, beyond reduced climate impact, such as cleaner air, greener environments, lower costs, and increased competitiveness.
– In Växjö, we have good experiences showing that the climate transition has positive effects on society at large. The transition to a bio-based energy system benefited local forest owners and contributed to reduced vulnerability and increased economic growth. I am convinced that the transition we need to make in the transport sector will also bring positive effects in the form of increased attractiveness, fewer accidents, and better public health, says Malin Lauber (S), Mayor of Växjö.
From Sweden to the world
European Viable Cities Day – organised by the EU Commission's representation in Sweden and Viable Cities – serves as a bridge between all the work taking place in Sweden and within the EU for the mission of climate-neutral and sustainable cities. In Europe, over a hundred cities, including several Swedish ones, aim for climate neutrality by 2030 as part of the EU's Green Deal with the overarching goal of a climate-neutral continent by 2050.
– Currently, the EU is driving the climate transition in a very positive way. But it must be combined with additional measures at the national, regional, and local levels. The EU does not have all the tools. Collaboration between various actors is particularly important in the transport sector, and climate city contracts are another area to enhance the crucial collaboration between the Swedish Transport Administration and municipalities, says Roberto Maiorana, Director-General of the Swedish Transport Administration.
Transport, both of people and goods, accounts for a significant portion of the emissions that must be drastically reduced. To address this, many actors in society need to be involved. The tool "system demonstrators" is currently being developed within Viable Cities. The tool is designed to make it easier to tackle complex challenges, such as achieving climate-smart mobility. Two cities testing this are Lund and Stockholm, collaborating with various actors.
– We are convinced that system demonstrators will become an invaluable tool for the local transition journey in the coming years, in Sweden, in the EU, and globally. Both courage and action are now required from everyone: the public sector, business, research institutes, civil society, and politicians, says Olga Kordas, Program Director of Viable Cities.
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More about the work within Viable Cities
Local climate agreements are increasing. As a spin-off of the national Climate City Contract 2030, actors are mobilizing in local climate agreements. The agreements vary in cities but share the commitment of organizations joining forces to actively work together to transform their own operations and contribute to the municipality's overarching goal of climate neutrality by 2030. At present, around 400 companies and organizations are part of a local climate agreement, but the number is growing rapidly. Climate agreements in Gävle involve 14 organizations, Kristianstad 17, Umeå 56, Uppsala 46, Eskilstuna 67, Malmö 45, Borlänge 40, Helsingborg 90, Linköping 18, and Karlstad 5 (soon to be 6). In the Stockholm region, there is Climate Arena Stockholm.
Flex-o-mat in Uppsala. Every day, cities prepare 1.4 million meals in schools (offered for free to every student) and in care facilities. In Uppsala, new routines for kitchen staff, combined with technical solutions, have led to halved power peaks. This results in lower stress on the power grid when electricity is most expensive. The results are so promising that over 30 large kitchens in Uppsala Municipality will use the concept, and it has also spread to other municipalities, such as Eskilstuna, Karlstad, and Lund. The concept is currently being tested in other types of machine-intensive operations, such as Fire and Rescue Service laundries.
System demonstrator planned in Lund. In Lund Municipality, plans are underway for a system demonstrator (CoAction Lund) in a city district that is one of Sweden's most densely populated areas with a lot of traffic. Together with several partners, they aim to create a mobility system with reduced emissions while maintaining accessibility. The mobility system will also be linked to a climate-neutral energy system in the area. To truly transform, more than technical solutions are needed – entire systems need to change. The system demonstrator paves the way for many more cities to test and deploy similar solutions.
And in Stockholm. In the system demonstrator "Snabbsam," the City of Stockholm and its partners will work towards a comprehensive transformation of travel habits, land use, and the vehicle fleet in the city centre of Stockholm. This is a step towards an emission-free city centre and a climate-positive Stockholm by 2030. In Snabbsam, the environmental zone planned for central Stockholm will be used both as an engine and a window of opportunity in the pursuit of an efficient and emission-free transport system.
Halved electricity consumption in ÖBo. Örebro municipality's public housing company, ÖBo, has more than halved the electricity consumption in its residences (52 per cent) since 2005. The heating consumption has been reduced by 22 per cent. This was achieved by viewing their residences as a single large system and installing smart technology in existing houses. This has led to reduced operating costs of over a hundred million SEK per year, estimated to correspond to two billion SEK in increased property values.
Construction actors for sustainable development in Enköping. In Enköping, a sustainability program for a major urban development project has been developed in close collaboration with selected construction actors. The program will be used at all stages of the development of the Myran city district; from agreements, land allocation, planning programs, detailed planning to project design and building permits, construction, and management. The directional goals guide both the city's administrations and companies as well as construction actors within Myran.
Commute to work – behavioural change with digital support. Borlänge Municipality, together with a range of partners - Sustainable Innovation, SSAB, IKEA, Borlänge Energi, and KLOT- climate psychologists - aims to develop mobility services tailored for commuting between the city centre and the rural areas. New knowledge about behavioural patterns and digital carpooling services is expected to contribute to increased sustainability and reduced climate impact on transportation. The work is part of speeding up the transition to a climate-neutral Borlänge by 2030 and has significant potential for scaling up.
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Climate City Contract 2030. The first contracts were signed in 2020 by nine cities. In 2023, it is 23 cities, representing 40 per cent of Sweden's population, are 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 government agencies signing are the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova – Sweden´s Innovation Agency, Formas – the 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.
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Contact
Anna-Lena Ekenryd
Communications strategist
anna-lena.ekenryd@viablecities.se
0046733468436
Viable Cities. Viable Cities is a national platform focused on innovation for climate-neutral and sustainable cities. In the Climate-Neutral Cities 2030 initiative – with the Climate City Contract 2030 tool – the program collaborates with 23 cities and six government agencies to accelerate the climate transition. Viable Cities' work is aligned with the European mobilization around the "Mission Climate Neutral and Smart Cities 2030." The program is financed as a strategic innovation program by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova - Sweden´s Innovation Agency, Formas – the Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development, and is coordinated by KTH – Royal Institute of Technology.
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