Frequently asked questions about Viable Cities and the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative.
Viable Cities works towards the mission of Climate Neutral Cities 2030 with a good life for all within the limits of the planet. Together with cities - municipalities, business, academia and civil society - and government agencies we work together to create ecologically, economically and socially sustainable cities. 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 and our planet.
In the Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative, the program is working with a growing number of cities and six national government agencies, all of which are making commitments to support efforts to accelerate the climate transition and achieve the mission. A key tool for multi-level governance is Climate City Contract 2030, which creates long-term strategic alignment between actors and efforts from local to international levels.
Viable Cities works closely with the European mobilization of over 100 cities in the "Mission Climate Neutral and Smart Cities 2030".
Viable Cities is a strategic innovation program with support from the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas. The program's time frame is 2017-2030 and is coordinated by KTH.
Viable Cities is one of 17 strategic innovation programs supported in a joint initiative by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas. The purpose of the initiative is to contribute to Sweden's international competitiveness and to sustainable solutions to global societal challenges.
Major changes are needed across society if we are to meet climate targets and save the planet. Doing things the way we have always done them is no longer an option, we need to work in completely new ways. Viable Cities draws on research in many fields and inspiration from other thinkers to find this new way of working together.
We assume that the climate transition will lead to a better quality of life for everyone, with greener cities, better air and more space for people. We also assume that most of the technical solutions to succeed in the transition already exist. What we need to do is change the way society works. Viable Cities works to strengthen the capacity to transition on a broad front. Since everyone in society contributes to climate change to varying degrees, everyone needs to be involved in the changes required in society to achieve the goals.
The effort today includes:
The initiative started in 2019 when nine Swedish municipalities and their partners applied for and were awarded funding in Viable Cities Call #3 - Climate Neutral Cities 2030. The nine were Enköping, Gothenburg, Järfälla, Lund, Malmö, Stockholm, Umeå, Uppsala and Växjö. They have taken it upon themselves to test new ways of working 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.
At the end of 2024, we will scale up and even more cities will join the initiative.
Under the initiative, 23 Swedish cities are working together with several national government agencies and Viable Cities to lead 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.
On October 1, 2021, phase 2 of the initiative started, which has now been expanded to include 23 cities. The previous nine cities and about 20 other cities applied for support in Viable Cities call #8. 23 applications were granted, the new fourteen were Borlänge, Borås, Eskilstuna, Gävle, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Karlstad, Kristianstad, Linköping, Mariestad, Nacka, Skellefteå, Örebro and Östersund. Phase 2 runs for three years, until September 30, 2024.
Everyone in society needs to be involved in order to make the changes required to adapt to climate change: municipalities, of course, but they cannot do the necessary work alone. Politicians and officials need to work together with business and researchers, non-profit organizations and ordinary people. So, when we talk about the city, we are talking about everyone who lives and works in it.
As the majority of emissions occur in cities, they play a crucial role in the climate transition and the climate crisis. At the same time, cities, smaller communities and rural areas are interdependent; climate change and sustainability efforts must include all.
Around 30 cities in Sweden applied this spring to participate in call #8 - Climate Neutral Cities 2030 2.0. The Swedish Energy Agency has reviewed all applications based on the criteria listed in the call and selected the cities that best met these criteria. The Viable Cities program management has not selected the cities, but has formulated the call text and criteria there.
Cities play a crucial role in the climate transition. They cover about 3% of the Earth's surface, but account for about 70% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, they are growing rapidly. In Europe, nearly 85% of the population is expected to live in cities by 2050; in Sweden, 93%. That's why cities are important for tackling the climate crisis. And this is why the climate transition of cities is extremely important for all countries. This is reflected in the EU's Green Deal for Europe, which aims to make the whole of Europe climate-neutral by 2050, the first climate-neutral continent.
We are focusing on climate change in cities because changes will have the biggest and fastest impact there. At the same time, cities, smaller communities and rural areas are interdependent; climate change and sustainability efforts must include all.
We have a mission that we are working towards: Climate-neutral cities by 2030 with a good life for everyone within the boundaries of the planet. In other words, cities that do not burden the planet with emissions, where everyone in the city can have a good life, both socially and economically. It sounds incredible, but it is possible, if we really work for it.
Thankfully, we are not the only ones working on this mission, many are working in the same direction. Our mission is in line with the UN's Agenda 2030 and the Paris Agreement, which are important starting points for many Swedish cities' climate and sustainability work. It is also in line with the Swedish climate and environmental goals and the EU's goal - to be a climate-neutral continent by 2050.
Naturally, we want the climate transition to be as fast as possible in all cities and communities. The idea is that the cities in the initiative will pave the way for all cities and municipalities in Sweden and the rest of the world. They have taken it upon themselves to be pioneers, to test and experiment, and their experiences and lessons learned will facilitate the climate transition for everyone else.
As a strategic innovation program, Viable Cities has a budget to relate to, and we formulate our calls based on it. We strive to collaborate in other ways with cities, and other parties, that are not part of the initiative.
It is Sweden's largest investment to date in climate-neutral and sustainable cities. The total budget is over SEK 200 million.
All cities are working on the climate transition based on their own conditions, so it looks different. Some have come a long way in terms of the sharing economy, others have come further in terms of reducing emissions from freight transport. Some focus on sustainable construction and others on climate-smart public transport. By working together, cities learn from each other and can more quickly initiate and implement changes in their own city.
Viable Cities contributes to the transition with our knowledge, experience and support. We also work to connect other efforts for sustainable cities, in Sweden, in the EU and globally. We create meeting places; by working together with others and learning from each other, we can accelerate the development of climate-neutral and sustainable cities. It must be faster if we are to achieve the goal of the Paris Agreement: not to let the average temperature on earth increase by more than 1.5 degrees.
However, there is no certainty. We do not yet know what the climate-neutral and sustainable city looks like. That is what we are working on. Together with cities, businesses, researchers, politicians, civil servants, government agencies and ordinary people, we try ideas, we fail, we learn and we try again. We call this work the Viable Cities Transition Lab.
Climate City Contract 2030 is an effort to accelerate progress towards climate-neutral cities. It is a mutual agreement between the 2030 cities, six government agencies and Viable Cities, in which all parties commit to making a concrete contribution to accelerating the pace of climate change. The contract should be seen as a co-creation process rather than a document to be signed and inserted in a binder. The contract will be revised and sharpened every year.
The first version of Climate City Contract 2030 was signed in 2020 by nine Swedish cities, four government agencies and Viable Cities. In December 2021 a revised contract was signed for the first time, and in December 2022 for the second time.
Trafikverket, Tillväxtverket, Formas, Energimyndigheten, Vinnova and Naturvårdsverket.
Climate City Contract 2030 is an effort to accelerate progress towards climate-neutral and sustainable cities. It is a tool that shows in concrete terms what cities and authorities are committing to do for the climate transition. As the contracts are revised and their commitments are refined with each signing, it helps to accelerate the pace of change.
The Swedish Climate City Contract 2030 was the first in Europe and Viable Cities is now involved in several EU initiatives for climate-neutral cities and a European Climate City Contract.
Since 2021, the Spanish organization CitiES2030, inspired by Viable Cities, is working with several Spanish cities and a Spanish Climate City Contract.
The contracts are locally adapted to the different conditions of the cities.
Among other things, the cities undertake to work to drastically reduce climate emissions, to increase innovation capacity and to involve citizens in the climate transition process. The contract is a long-term tool that ensures cooperation between the cities and the state level and will evolve over time.
Among other things, the signatory authorities undertake to:
At its core, Climate City Contract 2030 is a process and a tool, not a formal agreement per se. All contracts are revised annually to accelerate the climate transition and ensure that cooperation between cities and the national level evolves over time. We are exploring and learning along the way. The main thing is that cities have high ambitions and align their urban development with the 2030 Climate Neutral Cities mission. We do not follow up on details. Sometimes things don't work out and then you adapt and redirect to keep your ambition and achieve the mission.
Climate change must happen across the planet as quickly as possible if we are to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees. Viable Cities works internationally both to bring ideas and insights home and to share our lessons learned. In the EU we are involved in several initiatives, NetZeroCities, CapaCities, Ped, Dut.
The EU's NetZeroCities initiative, where 112 European cities are working together to accelerate climate change, includes seven of "our" 2030 cities.
We also run a global initiative on urban climate change together with UN Habitat and a number of other stakeholders.
You can read more about our international work here.
Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the current way of living and organizing our society. Climate change affects our environment, economy and health. To meet these challenges we need to work together – from residents to researchers and politicians, everyone has an important role to play.
Critical and constructive questions together with open conversations help us make better decisions and develop solutions that not only reduce emissions but also strengthen health, justice and quality of life.
Skeptical questions from the outside world help us formulate factual answers about how measures to speed up the transition contribute to the quality of life for everyone; both today's and tomorrow's residents, and to other important societal goals while reducing emissions.
Here follows a compilation of some common skeptical questions that Viable Cities cities receive, and factual answers to these questions.
In Sweden and within the EU, we have goals to face the climate crisis and change to a sustainable future. Our collective ability to meet these goals is not least determined by what is done at the local level. Cities are responsible for more than 70% of greenhouse gas emissions and at the same time are engines for innovation and development. Therefore, there are many cities in Sweden and internationally that want to be pioneers in climate change. In addition, there are very large additional profits from being a forerunner in climate change. For example, many measures mean that in the long run, for example, you can reduce costs for energy, have a safer food supply and better public health. For companies, climate change means significant business opportunities if they choose to be at the forefront and take advantage of new emerging markets. Cities that are pioneers in climate change also see the potential to become more attractive for business establishment, investment and as places where people want to live and work.
Within the EU, 112 cities are currently mobilizing to become climate neutral by 2030 within the Mission "100 climate-neutral and smart cities 2030". Within this joint mission, 112 cities in the EU and associated countries receive support in their transition work through the NetZeroCities platform.
In addition to the overall EU initiative, many of these cities are also part of the corresponding mobilisation to become climate neutral at national level. In Sweden, this is done through Viable Cities, which at the time of writing is working with 23 Swedish cities, seven of which are also involved among the 112 in the EU. In Spain, there is a sibling programme to Viable Cities, CitiES2030, which is working with 17 Spanish cities, in Austria the national initiative involves 47 cities, and in Romania the corresponding initiative involves 13 cities. Additional countries in Europe are making national efforts to facilitate pioneer cities to become climate neutral faster to be able to lead the way and make it possible for many more.
The climate issue is one of many important issues that the municipality is working on. The difference compared to other areas is that there are not yet equally established processes and methods to fully manage climate change
No. The municipality's most important mission is to create a good quality of life for the residents. It is about care, school, care, infrastructure, security, culture and leisure. But to secure welfare both today and in the future, municipalities must work to reduce emissions and manage the effects of climate change, such as extreme weather and fires.
This means that we must reduce the municipality's emissions of greenhouse gases to zero, calculated from 1990 levels. This must take place at the same time as we maintain or increase the quality of the municipal service to the citizens.
The strategy is to reduce emissions as close to the source as possible and integrate the climate perspective into all municipal decisions and activities.
In addition, the municipality is not allowed to buy itself off. Climate compensation may only be used as a last resort and may not be more than 15% of remaining emissions, according to EU rules.
The emissions are calculated in three dimensions:
Municipalities that take the lead in the work with climate neutrality undertake to gather and engage actors within their geographical area to jointly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. It also means that the municipalities take responsibility for the municipal organization's own direct emissions (usually called Scope 1) and indirect emissions from energy purchases (usually called Scope 2) and work to reach as far as possible in these areas until 2030.
This includes reducing emissions in line with science-based targets and integrating the climate perspective into all municipal activities and decisions. In the longer term, as data collection and methods to address Scope 3 emission categories (e.g. in consumption and supply chains) are further developed, these can be included in the municipality's target picture. At present, it is not realistic to fully achieve climate neutrality within Scope 3 before 2030, but the municipalities see this as a future ambition.
Mitigation and offsetting
Municipalities are working to reduce their emissions as much as possible, with a focus on avoiding and reducing emissions at source. Offsetting is only used as a complementary measure and not as a primary strategy. According to the EU definition and the Swedish climate policy framework, offsetting may not exceed 15% of the remaining emissions. Offsetting is intended to be used only when all opportunities to avoid and reduce emissions have been fully exploited.
Development and monitoring
To ensure that climate targets are met and that efforts are effective, many municipalities are currently working with the support of national and international frameworks, such as the GHG Protocol and the EU's climate targets.
Sweden's goal of climate neutrality is to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 at the latest, with a milestone goal for 2030, where emissions must be at least 63% lower than the 1990 level. For the transport sector, a reduction of 70% applies compared to 2010 levels. The national climate policy framework also means that the government, according to the Climate Act, must determine concrete action programs and decisions to reach these goals, which are linked to the EU's common climate goals and the global commitments in the Paris Agreement.
Through partnerships such as Viable Cities and Climate City Contract 2030, municipalities are supported in developing innovative methods for climate assessments, climate investment plans and monitoring. The 2024 version of the Climate Contract is expected to provide an even more robust basis for measuring progress and identifying challenges.
A clear vision for the future
Municipalities that lead the way act as role models and development engines in climate action. By bringing together stakeholders, taking responsibility for their own emissions and working strategically to achieve climate neutrality, they are leading the way towards a society where climate goals are achieved without compromising citizens' quality of life or municipal services.
Municipal emissions are measured through a combination of national databases and local inventories. A central resource for this is the national emissions database, managed by SMHI. This database collects and presents Sweden's national air emissions, broken down by county and municipality. However, it is important to note that the figures cannot be used straightforwardly to calculate the average climate impact per municipality inhabitant.
One challenge with climate data at the national level is that there is often a time lag before the figures become available. Emissions data are normally published in December of the year following the relevant emission year.
Emissions are also reported at municipal level, and information is usually available on the municipality's website or in collective databases, such as SMHI emissions database, Statistics Norway, the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and through local inventories. One of the major challenges has long been reporting emissions so that they can be compared between municipalities and regions. However, this work is continuously developed, both nationally and at European level. For example, work is underway to further develop standards such as the GHG Protocol (Greenhouse Gas Protocol), which aims to harmonize methods for measuring and reporting emissions.
Historically, the lack of detailed and comparable data has led to uncertainties about how much municipal activities and citizens actually emit. However, in recent years, calculation models and data bases have improved significantly, providing a more complete picture of emissions. This can sometimes give the impression that emissions are increasing, as previously underestimated or completely undetected emissions are now included in the improved calculations.
There are now also several tools and actors on the market that provide tools to support municipalities' work on the climate transition, such as local and regional so-called carbon budgets, local data on consumption-based emissions, travel surveys, etc.
Viable Cities and Climate City Contract 2030 support the municipalities that lead the way and contribute with innovation and development work in both climate calculations and climate investment plans. Climate City Contract 2030, in version 2024, will give us a much larger common basis for monitoring and seeing progress and challenges.
Municipalities leading the way on climate action recognize that collaboration is key to achieving real change. Success requires close cooperation with both businesses and citizens. Involving them is a prerequisite for achieving climate goals.
The municipalities that sign Climate City Contract 2030 also commit to driving the transition within their geographical area. This is mainly done by establishing forums and dialogues with other local actors in the form of local businesses, civil society, academia and others.
Many of the leading municipalities have introduced so-called local Climate City Contract. These contracts involve the municipality together with local actors, such as businesses and other organizations, agreeing on a shared responsibility to accelerate the transition. At the time of writing, more than 500 companies have signed local Climate City Contract with their respective municipalities. So it is through the power of collaboration that change can be created at scale.
Businesses participating in local Climate City Contract also experience clear benefits. In addition to contributing to the positive development of their locality and community, they gain access to networks, knowledge and support. This strengthens their own development and improves their competitiveness. This means they can better develop in line with the requirements and opportunities presented by the climate challenge and EU regulations, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
In addition, the municipal organization and the municipal wholly or partly owned companies have, as we have previously mentioned, control over large activities that reach many / all municipal residents in different ways in schools, health care, care, traffic management, community planning, energy, housing, and water companies.
Since the municipality is one of the largest employers in the municipality, one of the largest purchasers of goods and services for the many businesses and also decides how society should be designed, the municipality can influence its surroundings in three ways; directly, indirectly and via collaboration and inspiration.
By combining cooperation and these three strategies, the municipality can create conditions for lower emissions and work towards climate neutrality even in areas over which it cannot decide.
Yes. In any case, when it comes to the municipal operations and the municipal companies, which is what the municipalities themselves can decide on.
However, the success of cities also depends on decisions at global, European and national level that have a local effect. For example, changes in the reduction obligation and the lowering of the fuel tax have negatively affected the ability to reach certain climate goals.
Because reducing emissions needs to happen quickly, we have to test many new things at the same time, without knowing in advance which ones work in practice or which ones have the greatest effect over time.
The Climate Contract 2030 is a long-term process that helps the municipality to reduce emissions and at the same time improve the service to the residents. It provides a current picture, highlights challenges and points to prioritized areas and investments that are required to reach the climate goals more quickly. A broad majority of the parties in the state houses stand behind the contract's goals. The process is repeated every year, with new, sharper goals and priorities.
In some cities, local also sign Climate City Contract with companies and other local actors. In this way, we can jointly go ahead and together reduce our climate impact.
The goal of the municipality's climate measures is not to reduce emissions at all costs, but to focus on creating a good life for everyone, both current and future generations of residents.
Most of the measures we implement that affect the climate have several purposes in addition to reducing emissions. It is part of the municipality's core mission to maintain or increase the quality of life for the citizens.