Earlier this fall, Karlstad Municipality co-hosted the Transition Lab Forum, which focused on how climate transition, climate adaptation, and preparedness are interrelated. In the status report, Henric Barkman and Charlotte Wedberg discuss this and much more.
The biggest climate villain in Järfälla municipality is transportation. To change this, the municipality is working with several large employers to reduce emissions from commuting and business travel. Since 2011, emissions from municipal employees' commutes to and from work have been reduced by 50 percent! This is according to Ida Bohman in the city's status report.
Involving the local business community in the climate transition is an obvious part of the transition. In Sandviken Municipality, this is particularly important as the municipality's industries account for 50 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, companies have strong incentives to transition in order to retain customers and market share. Read more in the city's status report.
"Working to achieve Climate Neutral Cities 2030 is a commitment to the future. For Landskrona, this means that we are taking active responsibility for the transition together with a national and European network," says Torkild Strandberg, Chairman of the Municipal Council Chairman Landskrona. You can read more about how Landskrona is mobilizing for a climate-neutral and sustainable city in their status report.
The City of Stockholm aims to be climate positive by 2030. How will this be achieved? One important initiative is the STOLT system demonstrator. "In just one year, STOLT has grown into a vibrant arena for collaboration and innovation. We are already seeing how new solutions are being tested in real life, how more players have joined, and how learning and scaling have become a natural part of the work," says Lars Strömgren, City Councilor for Transport, in the city's status report.
Climate-smart mobility is a focus of the transition work in Kalmar Municipality. The goal is 60 percent sustainable modes of transport by 2035. "This requires conscious social planning, but also a large dose of behavioral change," they write in their status report.
Financing the climate transition is a challenge and crucial to reach the mission of climate neutral cities by 2030. As a response to this Viable Cities is launching the Viability Fund for Cities. Fully operational, the fund will channel global private investments as well as public funding toward local climate action.
From data to participation – facts and analysis combined with broad internal participation. These are the keywords for climate transition work in Enköping municipality. Here, there is a transition arena with five transition teams (managers + relevant employees) and an expert team that reviews and delves deeper into the issues. Read more about this in the status report, written by process leader Maria Lindelöf.
"The city of Malmö aims to be climate neutral by 2030 and is one of the European Commission's selected pilot cities to lead the way in the transition. By 2030, Malmö's municipal organization will also achieve net zero emissions, and Malmö residents will have collectively halved their consumption-based emissions." This is according to process manager Linnea Folkesson in the city's status report.
The energy network on Gotland is an important piece of the puzzle in the island's climate transition. It is a meeting place for dialogue on energy and transition issues between industries and between business public organisations, with the aim of strengthening knowledge, collaboration, and local drive in the transition. You can read about this and much more in their status report.
The Municipality of Ulricehamn joined the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative a year ago. In their status report, they describe how they are tackling the climate challenge.
We offer some weekend reading from the north: "Örnsköldsvik is transforming together, with the entire municipal group driving the change. We are doing this step by step, together with people, companies, and associations throughout the municipality. Because we know that everything we do counts." This is what process leader Linn Backman Hallberg, Örnsköldsvik Municipality, writes in her status report on the local transition journey.
A 15-minute city in Lomma? Yes, it's in the works. Lomma has already made and plans to make major investments to create one, through densification, the creation of squares, and the concentration of commerce, culture, and services in central locations and recreation in the surrounding area. Lomma Municipality is one of the municipalities that joined the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative in December 2024 and is a twin city, i.e., it has joined forces with Climate Neutral Lund 2030. What does the transition work look like in Lomma right now? Process leaders Ulrika Håkansson Ström and Per Blomberg have the floor.
What is happening right now in the local transition journey in Kristianstad municipality? Quite a lot, as it turns out. One exciting initiative is Gården i centrum (The Farm in the Center), where local actors—farmers, banks, public actors, food companies, and insurance companies—are working together to explore what measures can be taken on a farm to either reduce greenhouse gas emissions or increase carbon storage. Read more in the status report from Klimatneutrala Kristianstad 2030 (Climate-Neutral Kristianstad 2030).
An airport for drones, a new bridge, Karlsbron, and a modern port are some of the initiatives in Skellefteå municipality on the road to sustainable travel and transport. In their status report, process leaders Gustaf Ulander and Stina Sundberg talk about what they are currently working on to create a climate-neutral and sustainable city.
"The climate challenge is complex, and complex challenges require changes in working methods. And it is precisely these changes in working methods that we have focused on in the municipality's revised climate strategy," says Peter Larsson, municipal director of Örebro Municipality, in the status report from Climate Neutral Örebro 2030. You can read much more about Örebro's work with climate change on our blog.
"We don't have time to wait! We need to implement and scale up the best solutions available today. There is no copyright between municipalities. We have a great responsibility to learn from each other," says Anders Almgren, Chairman the Municipal Council Chairman Lund, about climate change in the city. Read more about what is happening in Lund in the status report on our blog.
In October 2024, Valencia was hit by a flooding disaster of enormous proportions, resulting in the loss of more than 200 lives and extensive material damage - with knock-on effects throughout the community. This climate-related disaster has become a wake-up call, and important work is now underway in Spain to future-proof cities and regions by integrating both risk management and climate adaptation measures
Green travel plans, fossil-free fleet procurement targets and harnessing synergies from national initiatives. Swedish cities and government agencies are inspiring. At the Sweden-Brazil Innovation Week in October, the work being done in Lund and Stockholm on system demonstrators was highlighted, as well as insights from the analysis of transport and mobility from all Climate City Contract 2030 from last year.
Can public procurement contribute to better public health, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, higher quality of life in cities, better working conditions - while supporting Swedish innovation? The answer is yes. By setting requirements for electrified construction projects, municipalities and public procurers can accelerate the transition to fossil-free cities.
Sweden is raising its climate ambitions internationally and joining CHAMP, a global platform to accelerate climate action in cities. Viable Cities will coordinate Sweden's participation in the initiative.
Helsingborg becomes the ninth municipality to sign the Memorandum of Understanding on Zero Emissions Construction, the joint initiative between Infra Sweden, Fossil Free Sweden and Viable Cities.
Leaders of change from 27 countries gathered in Sønderborg during the Rethink Cities Summit to share solutions for climate transition. Viable Cities participated with examples from Lund - where EnergyNet and Nordic collaborations were in focus.
The Government has appointed Viable Cities' Olga Kordas as a member of the Swedish International Climate Inquiry. The inquiry will contribute to stronger international climate work.
In Viable Cities Insight 2025:4, we have taken a closer look at how 2030 cities are working on climate investments and financing the transition. The analysis is based on the texts of Climate City Contract 2030.
UN-Habitat Director-General Anacláudia Rossbach visited the Viable Cities program office at KTH to discuss deepening cooperation with the program with a focus on accelerating climate change adaptation in cities.
In June, over 200 participants from all over the country gathered in Linköping for Transition Lab Forum 18. On our blog, Sandra Viktor, process manager Climate Neutral Linköping 2030, tells us about three days filled with energy, new knowledge and system movement under the theme of sustainable mobility.
To achieve climate-neutral cities and communities, we need to transform the construction sector. By choosing electrified machinery and heavy vehicles, we can reduce emissions, improve air quality and create safer, quieter urban environments.
The Vilnius conference confirmed that the pace is accelerating - more and more cities are mobilizing the power of local climate leadership to reach climate neutrality by 2030.
Everyday travel to and from home, school, work and leisure activities accounts for a large share of transport emissions and is therefore an important part of cities' climate transition efforts. This climate breakfast addressed how Green Travel Plans can facilitate everyday travel that can reduce climate emissions and contribute to many added benefits of climate transition such as improved health, gender equality, inclusion, better accessibility and attractive workplaces.
In Viable Cities Insight 2025:2, we have taken a closer look at how 2030 cities are organizing themselves at the local level to accelerate the transition, both within the municipal organization and together with other actors in the transition arena. The analysis is based on the texts in Climate City Contract 2030 and in the progress reports produced by the cities.
Today, we are publishing Viable Cities Insight 2025:1. Through them, we provide short analyses of actions taken under the programme, such as the Climate City Contract 2030 updated by 2030 cities every year. In the first insight, we take a closer look at how cities describe the local climate transition in terms of transport and mobility in Climate City Contract 2030 and in the 2030 cities' progress reports of the same year.
How can citizen engagement be strengthened through new methods of dialogue, and create a basis for long-term involvement in the climate transition? Together for Helsingborg 2030 has explored this. On our blog, Olov Källgarn tells us about their findings.
Want to help save the world? The Viable Cities and ShiftSweden innovation programs both work mission-driven for a climate-neutral, sustainable and accessible world. We are now looking for interns who want to contribute to the development of communication in this field.
Sweden is now launching a pioneering solution for a decentralized energy supply that contributes to climate-neutral cities and communities. The solution, EnergyNet, was launched on April 26 in the Brunnshög district of Lund.
On our blog, process leader Madeleine Wahlund and the team in Lund tell us about three packed days where finance experts, city process leaders and finance departments, academia and government agencies put their heads together to find new ways to collaborate, think and invest to integrate finance into the transition.
With the ambition to reach climate neutrality by 2030, the pace of transition needs to increase significantly in Gävle, they write in their progress report. As in most other cities, transportation is the single biggest challenge. Gävle is mobilizing in several ways to tackle emissions.
Nearly 60 European cities and platforms have expressed their support for a joint declaration to further accelerate cities' climate transition. The document has now been handed over to the European Commission and will be used as a lever in further joint efforts towards climate-neutral cities.
In Malmö, emissions from citizens' consumption are to be halved by 2030. To achieve this, more people need to reduce their everyday emissions. To get the message across, the city is investing in a fun communication campaign with concrete tips for a climate-smart everyday life.
Transitioning to climate-neutral and sustainable cities can save billions and improve citizens' quality of life. The Climate Investment Plan is a five-step methodology and tool that facilitates the transition, from the current situation to actions and who pays.
Local Climate City Contract between business and municipalities are a tool to create a common arena for the climate transition in many 2030 cities. In a new report, we have taken a closer look at what the local variants look like, and how they can be developed.
How companies and municipalities work together to support business and contribute to the climate transition - 100 examples. A new report presents different types of good examples of climate competitiveness from across Sweden.
Resilient and sustainable food systems are an important part of achieving climate-neutral and climate-adapted cities and communities. How can we move from research to transition? How do we collaborate to build knowledge and understanding of the system together, and create a common vision? And how can cities contribute to food production?
To achieve the climate goals, the organization needs to be rigged to handle all perspectives in the climate transition. In its progress report, the City of Helsingborg describes, among other things, a new implementation organization that will ensure both action and follow-up.
In Borlänge, car traffic is to be reduced by a fifth by 2030. The municipality's purchases of organic food are to increase to at least 80 percent and at least 30 percent of the municipality's food purchases are to be locally produced by the same year. Already today, 54 actors have signed a local Climate City Contract in Borlänge and even more are on the way. Borlänge municipality tells us about this and much more in the State of 2030 cities on Linkedin.
How can society's laws and regulations better support the transition to climate-neutral cities? Within Viable Cities, municipalities and government agencies have identified some important areas to work on, including energy communities and waste heat recovery. The joint work is now presented in a report.
With a strong connection to the region's natural resources, local business and research, Östersund strives for long-term sustainable solutions. They want to create a society where efficient energy use, circular economy and sustainable transportation are obvious choices for residents and businesses. Choices that may initially be uncomfortable and unfamiliar, but which in the long run will generate a better and more beautiful Östersund.
Kalmar municipality's long-term goal is to become one of Sweden's best municipalities in ecological sustainability, climate transition and climate adaptation! How do we achieve this? Well, among other things, 60% of all journeys will be made by bicycle, walking and public transport by 2035 and a new purchasing and procurement policy will be developed with stricter requirements for fossil-free transport, construction and contracting projects and circular economy. In addition, an increased share of electricity will be both locally produced and renewable with the goal of becoming self-sufficient by 2035. Kalmar municipality is sharing this and much more as part of the State of 2030 Cities.
Eskilstuna is working on collaboration, recycling, logistics, citizen engagement and much more - they are doing Climate Revolution! Eskilstuna's goal is to be climate positive by 2045 and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2030. This also includes consumption-based emissions, which is a major challenge, but very important because they account for such a large proportion of emissions. The work is done in collaboration both internally and together with external actors in the five focus areas of the climate program: Transport and travel sustainably, Use and produce energy efficiently, Build, renovate and construct with low climate impact, Consume and produce sustainably, Store and absorb greenhouse gases.
Lund Municipality is accelerating to increase the pace of the transition to achieve the goal of climate neutrality by 2030. The municipality needs to strengthen collaboration both internally and with external actors. In Lund's transition work, the focus is therefore currently on organization, financing, and continued mobilization of climate work, both internally and externally. The biggest sources of emissions that the municipality needs to work with going forward are transport and agriculture.
In preparation for the 2025 budget, Lund City Council has allocated an extra SEK 40 million for a strengthened climate package. This means that climate work will get a real boost during the year. Examples of initiatives to be implemented during the year are pilot projects for sustainable travel in schools, the establishment of a rebuilding depot for building materials, energy efficiency of street lighting and extra funds for the operation and planting of trees.
Viable Cities is a strategic innovation program with the mission of achieving climate-neutral cities by 2030, ensuring a good quality of life for all within the planet’s limits. The program is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas and coordinated by KTH.
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