Cities are at the forefront of delivering meaningful change when it comes to the climate and, through the EU Cities Mission, they are channelling their ambitions. But what useful comparisons can we make between them? And in what ways do they differ? To help highlight these key points, Francesco Palmia, Elma Meskovic, and Silvia Gugu from NetZeroCities’ partner ICLEI have conducted an analysis of the first ten cities to receive a Mission Label and are publishing factsheets to draw out these very lessons.
The Importance of Knowledge Sharing in Climate Action
Given the challenges and uncertainties involved in reaching climate neutrality, it is crucial to manage knowledge effectively and to share good practices among cities.
To support this effort, the NetZeroCities team has conducted a comparative analysis of ten cities’ ‘Climate City Contract’ – an innovative and experimental governance tool that outlines a city’s overall vision for climate neutrality and comprises an action plan, investment strategy, and several commitments signed by various stakeholders who will support the city to reach its climate target by 2030.
Key Findings: Thematic CCC Highlights
Our findings are summarised in thematic ‘CCC Highlights’, which are designed to present topic-specific insights in an easily digestible format. These highlights will provide cities with quick access to valuable information on how Mission Cities with a Mission Label addressed specific challenges. In addition, they can be used by experts to identify best practices for supporting other cities in their journey to climate neutrality.
Cities Leading the Way: The First Ten Mission Label Recipients
The ten cities that were the first to receive a Mission Label from the European Commission for their CCC submission include, in no particular order:
- Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
- Klagenfurt (Austria)
- Madrid (Spain)
- Valencia (Spain)
- Valladolid (Spain)
- Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain)
- Zaragoza (Spain)
- Mannheim (Germany)
- Sønderborg (Denmark)
- Stockholm (Sweden)
These cities were recognised for the detail of their climate plans and their commitment to climate neutrality by 2030.
Insights from the First CCC Highlights
Two CCC Highlights have been published thus far. The first, Bold Commitments by 2030, focuses on the climate target that the cities committed to and the barriers to achieving their climate neutrality goals and demonstrates how cities have integrated the CCC process locally, building on existing climate-related efforts.
Notably, all ten cities had already established climate targets before developing their CCCs. More specifically, most had an adopted Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP) before joining the Cities Mission. The comparison between previous climate targets and new, more ambitious ones showcases the effectiveness of CCCs in accelerating cities’ commitments to climate neutrality.
Furthermore, cities leveraged their established international relations to accelerate the transition, tapping into their memberships and affiliations to identify opportunities and synergies. All cities, for example, emphasised their membership in city networks as key enablers of their commitment to climate neutrality by 2030. Additionally, cities often mention their participation in international initiatives such as the European R&I Horizon programme or their successes in winning awards like the European Green Capital as stepping stones in their trajectory to commit to becoming climate-neutral by 2030.
On the cities’ obstacles to climate neutrality, fragmented responsibilities across multiple levels of government, regulation, and inadequate funding schemes were the most frequently mentioned institutional barriers across the pool of cities.
Key Points:
- Accelerated Commitments: The comparison between previous climate targets and the new CCC goals illustrates how this process has accelerated cities’ commitments to climate neutrality by 2030.
- Leveraging International Relations: Cities effectively used their international memberships and affiliations to identify opportunities and synergies, helping to drive their climate actions forward.
- Common Obstacles: Despite these advances, cities face significant barriers to achieving climate neutrality, including fragmented responsibilities across multiple government levels, regulatory challenges, and inadequate funding schemes.
Understanding the Ecosystem of Supporters
The next summary, A Diverse Ecosystem of Supporters, dives into the diversity of actors that signed the Commitments document and demonstrates how the CCC process enhances stakeholder collaboration and helps cities share ownership of the climate neutrality journey with an ecosystem of actors.
In total, 349 entities, including various levels of government, knowledge institutions, intermediaries, businesses, service providers, and civil society organisations, supported the CCCs of these ten Mission Cities. Interestingly, nearly half of these endorsements came from Valencia, reflecting different starting points and engagement strategies across the cities. Businesses, particularly those related to transport and mobility, comprised the largest group of signatories.
Diversity among signatories is a common trait across all labelled Mission Cities. Each city, however, had a dominant group of supporters: Mannheim, Madrid, Valencia, and Vitoria-Gasteiz saw a high representation of business signatories; Cluj-Napoca, Klagenfurt, Valladolid, and Valencia engaged mostly with intermediaries; and Sønderborg and Stockholm featured a strong presence of service providers. While they were not a dominant group in any of the 10 labelled Mission Cities, civil society organisations, government bodies and service providers also showed consistent engagement.
Key Points:
- Stakeholder Diversity: A total of 349 entities, ranging from government bodies and knowledge institutions to businesses and civil society organisations, endorsed the CCCs of these ten cities.
- Dominant Supporter Groups: Each city had a dominant group of supporters, with businesses, particularly those in transport and mobility, being the largest group overall. In contrast, other cities, such as Cluj-Napoca and Klagenfurt, engaged more with intermediaries, while Sønderborg and Stockholm had strong representation from service providers.
Upcoming CCC Highlights and What to Expect
Looking ahead, an upcoming analysis will cover GHG (greenhouse gas) inventories, targets, and emission gaps; sustainable energy systems; and a summary of co-benefit indicators, concluding the first batch of CCC analysis focusing on the first Mission Label cities. All CCC Highlights are available on the Cities Mission Portal here.
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