Mariestad has been working on innovative green solutions for almost ten years, and the Climate Neutral Mariestad 2030 mission brings together everyone working for the climate in Mariestad - business, individuals and other actors - in Mariestad's transition arena. Together, they work for a climate-neutral association life, sustainable passenger transport to and from workplaces, sustainable construction, hydrogen as an energy source and board games as a tool.
The transition in Skellefteå focuses on sustainable mobility, sustainable construction and sustainable industry. By mobilizing the whole community, they are working to increase biodiversity by creating environments that benefit local species, redesign the city's traffic flows to promote sustainable transport, bring together actors from different sectors to explore how public procurement can serve as a tool to reduce climate emissions, reduce the need for new energy sources by heating streets and buildings with waste heat... and much much more!
Kristianstad - a city in Skåne with a strong focus on the transition of the food system, energy, mobility, the construction industry and, not least, the rewetting of peatlands in the Kristianstads Vattenrike Biosphere Reserve. Kristianstad is working with local actors to achieve a climate-neutral, sustainable and resilient food system in Kristianstad, has recently adopted a sustainable development strategy that is followed up annually through a progress report, is mobilizing, together with local actors, for increased energy production, reliable electricity distribution and efficient energy use, and is developing its methodology for business-oriented climate investment plans.
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?
A wide range of stakeholders can shape the future of climate-neutral cities by investing where it matters. This fall, Viable Cities has together with the Sweden-US Green Transition Initiative initiated and participated in a series of roundtables and events on aggregated purchasing power for climate-neutral and smart cities. This article presents early findings and suggests the next steps for how cities can leverage private and public stakeholders to drive demand for sustainable solutions.
To accelerate learning among the cities that have chosen to immerse themselves in the development of climate investment plans, Viable Cities organized a study tour to Belgium. By visiting cities with different characteristics and challenges, the group gained insights, ideas and important contacts for the future. The trip brought together a mix of process managers, financial strategists, economic strategists, urban planners, environmental strategists, and researchers.
This fall's first Climate Breakfast will focus on procurement to accelerate the climate transition. Procurement can be a powerful tool to drive a faster transition to climate-neutral and sustainable cities, but how? How can local authorities take a leading role? What are the key areas? What examples of new ways of working on this exist today?
Linköping tells us, among other things, about the climate investment plan for transport they developed together with Linköping University, how they developed a model for category management and worked on an environmental commuting analysis, that they allocated funds for test bed checks and launched a smart map where you can rent, share, exchange, borrow, repair and buy reused. Read also about the five priority areas Linköping is focusing on and the initiatives, networks and project groups that are bubbling with commitment!
Malmö says it will become climate neutral by 2030 and is one of the European Commission's selected pioneer cities to lead the transition. At the heart of Malmö's approach is a new horizontal approach - Climate Transition Malmö - focusing on joint roadmaps in seven priority areas, where strong action can have a big impact for Malmö and the planet. Local work for a global mission!
In Örebro, the municipal council recently adopted the Örebro municipal climate strategy after revision during the year. The targets in each of the six focus areas in the strategy are aimed at the municipal group, but the efforts relate to both the municipal group and the geographical area. The municipality has also set specific goals that they are working on together with other actors and the focus going forward is to implement the climate strategy's new working methods and implement prioritized activities.
Karlstad is working on a broad front for the climate transition, from student councils and collaboration to climate investment plans and ambitious targets. Charlotte Wedberg and Henric Barkman, process managers for Climate Neutral Karlstad 2030, talk about the transition work in the city, which is both broad and ambitious.
Competitive businesses in climate-neutral cities - how do we accelerate collaboration between municipalities andbusiness? The role of businesses in the climate transition has become increasingly high on the agenda in Sweden and internationally. Viable Cities is therefore investing in the Climate Competitiveness initiative in 2023 to accelerate collaboration between municipalitiesbusiness to both strengthen companies and achieve the mission.
