Ella Morgan, Author at NetZeroCities

Turku: Changing Mindsets for a Climate-Positive city

Ella Morgan2024-07-02T09:56:25+02:00May 13th, 2024|

Author: Elisa Abrantes Stories from Pilot Cities: Turku is one of the 112 cities participating in the EU Mission to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities, and the Pilot Cities Programme – a component of the Mission that focuses on exploring and testing pathways to rapid decarbonisation over a two-year period. There aren’t many cities that can confidently make the claim they’ll reach climate neutrality by 2029. On the southwest coast of Finland, the city of Turku can, and is on track to do so, reaching net-zero on the year marking the city’s 800th birthday. Turku [...]

Citizen Engagement for Climate Action

Ella Morgan2025-02-10T14:08:57+01:00May 13th, 2024|

Author: Elisa Abrantes As cities navigate the urgent demands of climate change, the need to involve citizens is becoming increasingly pivotal. At its core, citizen engagement in cities involves the active participation of individuals in urban decision-making. Strong citizen engagement contributes to climate strategies that are effective, equitable, and aligned with community needs. Engaging citizens promotes public support for necessary but potentially contentious policies like low-emission zones or retrofitting buildings. It also fosters a sense of ownership over local environmental challenges, encouraging proactive participation and compliance. Citizen input helps identify specific community issues, enabling tailored solutions [...]

Bridging Cities through the Twinning Learning Programme

Ella Morgan2024-05-13T09:48:20+02:00May 7th, 2024|

Author: Elisa Abrantes At a time when European cities are increasingly at the forefront of tackling global climate challenges, the ambitious Twinning Learning Programme run by NetZeroCities as part of the EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission, is a call to action for cities to work together, offering a path towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and interconnected future. The Programme is designed to facilitate a two-way exchange between cities that are part of the Pilot Cities Programme, and partner cities across Europe with a strong commitment to reaching climate-neutrality. This is a hands-on opportunity for cities [...]

Innovating Together: The Twinning Learning Programme Bridges Budapest and Eskisehir Towards a Sustainable Future

Ella Morgan2024-04-18T09:07:48+02:00April 18th, 2024|

Author: Inna Chilik In an era where climate change poses one of the most significant challenges to our cities, the power of collaboration and knowledge exchange has never been more crucial. The Twinning Learning Programme is facilitated by NetZeroCities, managing the EU Cities Mission Platform. The Programme has set a new benchmark for how cities can work together to achieve their sustainability goals. A recent meeting between Budapest, Hungary, and Eskisehir, Turkey, under this programme, exemplifies the potential of international partnerships in driving meaningful climate action. A Meeting of Minds and Missions From 12 to 13 March 2024, a delegation from [...]

Ambitious cities invited to connect with peers and apply to EU Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission Twinning Learning Programme

Ella Morgan2024-05-31T10:56:16+02:00April 8th, 2024|

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE From today (8 April), cities across the EU and Horizon Europe-associated countries are invited to apply to join the EU Cities Mission’s peer exchange programme and speed up their journey towards climate neutrality. Facilitated by NetZeroCities, the consortium currently managing the Cities Mission platform, the Twinning Learning Programme will pair applicants with second cohort of ‘Pilot Cities’ on the Mission, who act as innovation hubs, to pursue activities related to rapid decarbonisation. Cities are twinned according to common circumstances and challenges, allowing them to benefit from each other’s knowledge and experience. In turn, this shared [...]

Towards Climate Neutrality: Insights from NetZeroCities’ Pilot Cities Bootcamp

Ella Morgan2024-10-09T11:47:20+02:00April 2nd, 2024|

Author: Elisa Abrantes: elisa.abrantes@climate-kic.org The second cohort of cities taking part in the Pilot Cities Programme kicked off their two-year run as Pilot Cities at the NetZeroCities Bootcamp in Milan, on the 20 – 21 March. The NetZeroCities Consortium hosted representatives from the 26 cities at the Politecnico di Milano, where the sunny 20°C weather showed early signs of Spring. The Bootcamp is an essential first step in the Pilot Cities Programme, putting cities at the centre of what they want their projects to achieve and learn, helping them refine their Pilot City proposals, and connecting them to their overall [...]

More European cities reach milestone on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission

Ella Morgan2024-03-25T17:32:19+01:00March 25th, 2024|

At a ceremony in Brussels, 23 cities – all part of the EU Cities Mission – received a ‘Mission Label’, following the submission of their Climate City Contract or CCC, which defines the city’s climate commitments, action plan, and investment strategy to become climate neutral by 2030. Detailed CCC documents also include input from citizens and stakeholders – a key part of the process of engagement that continues after submission, as the city advances towards its climate goals and the CCC is developed further. The labels are a recognition of the city’s plans by the European Commission, which it is hoped [...]

Mission Cities’ Policy Brief: Tackling Circular Economy Challenges

Ella Morgan2024-03-04T18:13:14+01:00March 4th, 2024|

With cities at the forefront of climate neutrality solutions, their experiences hold valuable lessons for national authorities and EU decision-makers in the framework of the European Green Deal. A first Policy Lab, facilitated by NetZeroCities, gathered representatives from 21 Mission Cities to explore the intricacies of circular economy practices, with a particular focus on circular construction and reducing plastic waste. The insights gathered from Mission Cities Oslo, Helsinki, and Stockholm, alongside contributions from eighteen additional Mission Cities, have culminated in the production of a first Mission Cities’ Policy Brief. This document presents a comprehensive set of policy recommendations aimed at EU decision-makers and [...]

Stockholm and Sønderborg – big and small Nordic Mission Label cities show the power of collaboration in climate action

Ella Morgan2024-03-01T14:50:53+01:00March 1st, 2024|

Author: Alan MacKenzie “It's important to be humble and understand that there are always great challenges ahead of you”, Björn Hugosson, Stockholm’s chief climate officer, says. Since 1990, the city has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds, alongside a growing population and economy. But even with more than 30 years of climate action behind them, the city is still being challenged – and challenging itself – to do better. Following the award of one of the first ten ‘Mission Labels’ from the EU, which recognises the strength of the city's plans to reach climate neutrality by the end of [...]

26 Cities to Receive Additional EU Support on Climate-neutral Journey

Ella Morgan2024-01-23T16:10:24+01:00January 23rd, 2024|

The ambition of EU Mission Cities to reach their climate targets by 2030 has been given another important boost through Horizon Europe, the EU’s key research and innovation programme, and NetZeroCities, with new funding of up to 1.5 million Euros and access to expert support. Twenty-six cities from across the EU and in associated countries of Horizon Europe will benefit from nearly 15 million Euros in total to become ‘Pilot Cities’, acting as innovation hubs as they test solutions for rapid decarbonisation. The grants, awarded in packages of 500,000-600,000, 1 Million, or 1.5 Million Euros, will support Pilot Cities’ exploratory activities [...]

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