Viable Cities' mission is Climate Neutral Cities 2030 with a good life for all within the boundaries of the planet. The Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiativeis therefore the biggest thing we are working on. Within the initiative, 23 Swedish cities are working together with several national government agencies and Viable Cities to take the lead in the climate transition. The cities have taken it upon themselves to test new approaches and solutions, to learn from each other and to work towards the mission: to create cities that work well for the people who live in them, that are good for the economy of citizens, businesses and society - and - that are good for the climate. This is not an easy task, nor is there a blueprint for how to do it. Major changes are needed throughout society if we are to meet the climate targets and save the planet. Doing what we have always done is no longer possible, we need to work in completely new ways.
We focus on cities and municipalities because they are in a great position to involve local actors and make decisions within their geographical area. In addition to the municipality, many other actors are important for the local transition journey, such as SSAB in Borlänge or the petroleum industry in Gothenburg. A local mobilization of business, civil society, citizens and universities is needed to achieve the climate and sustainability goals. This is why we talk about cities and not municipalities. Municipalities can lead the work, but all other actors also need to be involved in the mobilization. By bringing cities together to work together and learn from each other, we accelerate the local transition journey.
The Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative is testing new ways of working and new solutions, learning and sharing what we do to speed up the transition journey. The Climate City Contract 2030 tool is the hub of this joint effort. Each city collects its climate and sustainability commitments in the contract, which is revised and signed every year. The six authorities and Viable Cities describe in the contract how we will support the cities' local transition journeys.
In the 23 cities of the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative, countless efforts are underway that contribute to all this. They are working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, to save energy, to create mobility for all, to engage more people, to govern and lead in new ways. And they are all sharing their experiences to work together to create the new normal: climate-neutral cities by 2030 - with a good life for all, within the limits of the planet.
Skellefteå
A unique development is taking place in Skellefteå. There is strong local industrial development and construction and planning in Skellefteå as never before. Intensive work is already underway to coordinate projects and promote sustainable social development and a green transition.
Umeå
The initiative for a smart climate-neutral Umeå 2030 is based on a consumption perspective on the city's climate impact and includes emissions within and outside Umeå's geographical boundaries.
Östersund
Östersund will become climate neutral by 2030. To realize this, an action and climate investment plan for the municipality, companies and residents of the city will be developed.
Gävle
Gävle municipality has an environmental strategy program with the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2035, including consumption-based emissions, and already has a comprehensive climate roadmap. In addition, Gävle will build one of Europe's most sustainable districts, Näringen.
Borlänge
Climate Neutral Borlänge 2030 aims to create collaborative forms, new processes and methods to enable the transformative changes required to succeed in the rapid climate transition.
Enköping
In the initiative in Enköping, an IoT platform will make it possible to collect/share new data from buildings and the environment, thereby creating an improved basis for decision-making, scalable innovations and new services. Grouped qualitative digital pilots will be carried out to test the effects of dialogue and anchoring patterns among citizens.
Karlstad
Karlstad Municipality has the goal of being fossil-free and climate-smart and is one of the few municipalities that includes both geographical and consumption-based emissions in this ambition. Climate work must permeate the entire municipality and it must be easy for residents and companies to make climate-smart choices.
Eskilstuna
With broad inclusion, a climate program is designed for and with actors from public organisations, business, the non-profit sector and academia to include everyone who lives and works in the municipality. During the work, five areas have been identified that Eskilstuna's stakeholders need to focus on with joint efforts.
Örebro
Climate Neutral Örebro 2030 will create a platform for collaboration that leads to structural and cultural system innovations for climate change, in both new and existing neighborhoods. Örebro's strengths around the carbon budget with three perspectives are important pillars for achieving the goals.
Uppsala
Uppsala is committed to leading the climate transition and achieving the goals in line with Agenda 2030 by accelerating the transformative changes necessary for the climate. Uppsala Municipality and the Uppsala Climate Protocol network will develop an action plan for a fossil-free welfare society in 2030.
Järfälla
Järfälla will be at the forefront of environmental and climate work and the municipality is growing with thousands of planned homes and workplaces. The major urban development projects underway create both challenges and opportunities to make smart, sustainable choices for a climate-neutral municipality right from the start.
Stockholm
The initiative in Stockholm aims to improve the ability of cities to manage the complex decision-making situations that arise and find appropriate measures to reduce emissions. An innovation team with the municipality, academia and business is being established to drive the transition process.
Nacka
The purpose of the initiative is to strengthen the conditions for municipal planning to develop and implement innovative ideas and transformative solutions that contribute to meeting the climate challenge and set environmental and sustainability goals.
Mariestad
In recent years, Mariestad Municipality has taken several significant steps towards climate change. Already in 2015, the municipality decided with political consensus and in cooperation with local industry to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030.
Linköping
As early as 2012, Linköping City Council decided that the municipality should be carbon neutral by 2025. A long-term climate and energy program is now being developed with the aim of defining proposals for overall umbrella goals for climate work in the coming decades.
Borås
Borås's local carbon budget states that both the municipal group and Borås's consumption-based emissions should be reduced by 16% each year. Climate Neutral Borås 2030 aims to realize the significant emission reductions required while creating a fair and inclusive transition.
Gothenburg
Previous experience and studies show that it is not technical solutions that are missing for climate change, but transformative ability and capacity for new system solutions. The initiative is therefore based on what kind of movement we believe must take place, what working methods we believe will be required, what competencies and structures this requires, and how these should be anchored in the city's organization.
Växjö
Växjö municipality wants to collaborate with actors in society to develop an action plan and methods for the transition to a society with low climate impact. The initiative will work with the overall picture for a climate-neutral Växjö, but also focus on the areas of construction and transportation.
squid
Kalmar is one of Sweden's fastest growing residential cities - and also a distinctly rural municipality. This is a combination that presents challenges but also opportunities for sustainable growth. There is a strong political will, with clear goals for the transition, and the municipality has much to contribute.
Helsingborg
Helsingborg's ambition is to offer its residents a high quality of life within the limits of the planet. The City of Helsingborg has an ambitious climate and energy plan with the goal of achieving zero emissions for the municipality's area by 2035. As part of this, a local Paris Agreement, Klimatavtal i Helsingborg, was launched in spring 2021.
Kristianstad
Climate-neutral Kristianstad 2030 will accelerate the transition to a sustainable, resource-efficient and climate-neutral society through innovation-driven, co-creative work characterized by commitment and participation. The initiative strengthens institutional capacity, is based on local conditions and uses collaborative platforms to create consensus and momentum in the climate transition work.
Lund
In Smart and Climate Neutral Lund 2030, an innovation team will be formed consisting of design companies, research institutions and a cross-sectoral team centrally located in the municipality. Climate Neutral Lund 2030 2.0 will build on the approaches, networks, methods and results that emerged in step 1.
Malmö
The City of Malmö aims to be a pioneer in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. To achieve Malmö's ambitious climate goals, the City of Malmö has initiated Klimatomställning Malmö. The Malmö initiative will continue to contribute to ensuring progress in implementation.
23 Swedish cities are working together in Viable Cities' Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative. The map here provides a quick overview of the cities' ambitions. At each map pin you will find a short description of the city's work, and clicking on the pin will take you to the initiative's page with more information and relevant links.
Using tools such as Climate City Contract 2030, Transition Lab and System Demonstrators, 23 cities, several national government agencies and Viable Cities are working together to find new ways of working to accelerate the climate transition. All tools provide the basis for collaboration, development and testing of new approaches. The methods are anchored in the research approach from Viable Cities. Explore our climate transition tools and methods below.
Viable Cities is a strategic innovation program with the mission Climate Neutral Cities 2030 - with a good life for all within the limits of the planet. Central to the work is the initiative Climate Neutral Cities 2030 with the development of Climate City Contract 2030. We - the program office, the authorities and the cities - work for a systemic transition and see digitalization and citizen engagement as crucial elements in the work ahead.
Communication about Viable Cities should support the program's activities in order to contribute to achieving the program's mission. We work strategically with the communication and together with program partners we work to ensure that the communication is coherent in order to: benefit the cities and authorities through clarification and visibility; simplify for external parties; and to achieve impact within the initiatives and create a common movement towards the mission.
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