On Thursday, April 23, eight Swedish cities will take a big step forward to accelerate the climate transition. The cities are Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Lund, Växjö, Uppsala, Umeå and Enköping. The political leadership of the cities will gather to sign a declaration of intent, an agreement, which means that these municipalities want to take the lead, test and experiment in order to become climate neutral and inclusive by 2030.
They will serve as role models for other cities in Sweden and around the world that want to accelerate the transition. The meeting is part of the strategic innovation program Viable Cities.
The declaration of intent will contribute to a concerted effort by several national authorities and organizations to strengthen the ability of municipalities to implement the climate transition. This should be done in a way that also contributes to increased economic, social and environmental sustainability in line with the global sustainability goals.
- A prerequisite for the municipalities to succeed is that the current fragmented financing in many small projects is replaced by a more comprehensive approach to the financing of climate investments, says Allan Larsson, Chairman in the board of Viable Cities.
The MoU is the result of meetings between Viable Cities and the political leadership of these cities over the past three months.
government agencies - There is a strong commitment from the leadership of these cities to climate change and a strong desire for new forms of cooperation with governments and climate change financiers," says Olga Kordas, Viable Cities Program Manager.
The collaboration will allow these Swedish cities to take the lead nationally, and they will also be well prepared for future EU programs, especially the EU Mission for Climate Neutral Cities, which will make its first calls in 2021.
The meeting will discuss cities' challenges and support needs. Representatives from government agencies, organizations and financiers will reflect on how to overcome obstacles and design new financial value chains to implement the climate transition.
Follow the meeting live on April 23, 2020 10.00-12.00 via: https://vbct.es/nu-okar-vi-takten
Participating local council chairs:
Enköping: Ingvar Smedlund
Gothenburg: Axel Josefson (and Emmyly Bönfors Jansson)
Lund: Philip Sandberg
Malmö: Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh
Stockholm: Anna König Jerlmyr
Umeå: Hans Lindberg
Uppsala: Erik Pelling
Växjö: Anna Tenje
Panelists:
Elin Olsson, State Secretary to the Minister for Financial Markets and Housing Per Bolund
Robert Andrén, Director General, Swedish Energy Agency
Darja Isaksson, Director General, Vinnova
Emma Gretzer, Deputy Director General, Formas
Staffan Isling, CEO, Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions
Göran Färm, Chairman, Kommuninvest
Svante Axelsson, National Coordinator, Fossil Free Sweden
Anders Wijkman, Chairman, EIT Climate-KIC
Helena Bjarnegård, National Architect of Sweden, Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning.
The meeting, held digitally and broadcast live, will be opened by Viable Cities Chairman Allan Larsson and Viable Cities Program Manager Olga Kordas. Moderator Per Grankvist will lead the conversation.
Follow the meeting on April 23, 2020 10.00-12.00 via: vbct.es/nu-okar-vi-takten
Would you like to know more? Contact Anna-Lena Ekenryd, 070-528 61 91, anna-lena.ekenryd@viablecities.se
