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

2024-03-01T14:50:53+01:00

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 [...]

Stockholm and Sønderborg – big and small Nordic Mission Label cities show the power of collaboration in climate action2024-03-01T14:50:53+01:00

Innovation and learning hubs for climate-neutrality: what’s next for the cities in the Pilot Cities Programme?

2024-02-08T13:45:06+01:00

Author: Elisa Abrantes The Pilot Cities programme is set to scale up with a second cohort of 26 European cities. This brings the total number of participating municipalities to 79, all of which are working to develop innovative solutions for rapid decarbonisation. The third and final call to join the PCP is now open and will soon increase this number even further. The goal of generating groundbreaking solutions is matched by a robust focus on learning within the Pilot Cities Programme. Particular emphasis is placed on collective learning entailing the pooling of diverse perspectives to create shared understandings. This collaborative [...]

Innovation and learning hubs for climate-neutrality: what’s next for the cities in the Pilot Cities Programme?2024-02-08T13:45:06+01:00

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

2024-01-23T16:10:24+01:00

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 [...]

26 Cities to Receive Additional EU Support on Climate-neutral Journey2024-01-23T16:10:24+01:00

NetZeroCities Call for Pilot Cities, Cohort 3 is now open!

2024-01-16T14:34:25+01:00

This is the final call for cities to join the two-year Pilot Cities Programme in September 2024 and accelerate towards their 2030 climate-neutrality goals. The invite for applications for this cohort is open only to Mission Cities who are not yet part of the programme. Selected cities will explore and test pathways relevant to their key emission domains and generate learning that can inform decarbonisation activities in other cities across Europe. Prospective applicants can already read about some of the transformational activities of current Pilot Cities here. For this cohort, between 18 million and 26 million Euros will be distributed in [...]

NetZeroCities Call for Pilot Cities, Cohort 3 is now open!2024-01-16T14:34:25+01:00

European cities test innovative pathways to climate neutrality in the Pilot Cities Programme

2024-03-08T13:46:02+01:00

Author: Elisa Abrantes Over 50 European cities are just short of a quarter of the way through their two-year Pilot City Programme experience, and more EU Mission Cities recently applied to be part of the second cohort, to accelerate their efforts to achieve climate neutrality. Cities that are part of the programme receive an EU grant and support from the NetZeroCities platform over a two-year period to test innovative pathways to climate neutrality, aimed at overcoming entrenched and systemic barriers to change in their context. The Pilot Cities Programme is the main way in which [...]

European cities test innovative pathways to climate neutrality in the Pilot Cities Programme2024-03-08T13:46:02+01:00

Krakow: Paving the way to climate neutrality

2023-11-15T11:49:31+01:00

Krakow, alongside several other prominent Polish cities, is dedicated to achieving climate neutrality through the EU’s Mission of “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030”, with support from NetZeroCities. Within the framework of the EU’s Cities Mission, these urban centres are diligently crafting their unique Climate City Contracts, which will serve as comprehensive blueprints for their individualised climate strategies. Warsaw, Rzeszów, Łódź, Wrocław and Krakow are also taking part in the NetZeroCitiesPilot CitiesProgramme. The cities have joined forces under the NEEST project to develop their Pilot Activity - a practical retrofit tool to curb emissions from buildings. The Pilot Cities [...]

Krakow: Paving the way to climate neutrality2023-11-15T11:49:31+01:00

From Energy to Cooling, Pilot Cities Test Out Climate Neutrality Activities

2023-09-21T15:54:49+02:00

This article is part of a series exploring the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme, which includes Multi-City Pilot Cities, and integrates non-Mission Cities communities across the EU. Currently, a new Call for Pilot Cities is open, marking the next phase of exchange underpinning the ambition of the Cities Mission.  Pilot City activities are taking shape across the 53 cities selected to take part in the NetZeroCities Pilot Cities Programme – and they represent a wide array of communities at different phases of their journey towards climate neutrality. In addition to non-Mission Cities communities and Multi-City Pilot Cities, the following cities will test [...]

From Energy to Cooling, Pilot Cities Test Out Climate Neutrality Activities2023-09-21T15:54:49+02:00

NetZeroCities Call for Pilot Cities is now open!

2023-09-21T15:41:10+02:00

NetZeroCities has launched a second call to join its Pilot Cities Programme, a groundbreaking two-year programme testing innovative approaches to rapid decarbonisation in European cities. This second call, providing between 12 and 20 million Euros in grants and hands-on support to cities, is only open to Mission Cities which are not yet part of the Pilot Cities Programme.   Selected Pilot Cities will work across thematic areas, including mobility, energy systems, and the built environment, material and resource flows, health and well-being, natural areas, cultural/ social/ financial/ institutional systems, and accessible public spaces to deploy and scale up locally tailored actions [...]

NetZeroCities Call for Pilot Cities is now open!2023-09-21T15:41:10+02:00

Mission in Progress: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Conference 2023

2023-07-17T14:11:56+02:00

One year has passed since the Let's Go! Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Mission Kick Off Event  where pioneering cities started an unprecedented journey to become the first 112 climate-neutral cities by 2030. At the end of June, Mission Cities kept up the momentum as they convened for the second Cities Mission Conference. The Mission in Progress: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Conference 2023 was a chance to come together to exchange on their journeys to climate-neutrality. The conference was a poignant event for cities, with Dovydas Kaminskas, Mayor of Tauragė eloquently noting: “This is a problem-solving conference.” It was a space [...]

Mission in Progress: Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Conference 20232023-07-17T14:11:56+02:00

Expanding Horizons: Pilot Cities Programme Involves Non-Mission Cities

2023-06-28T11:41:01+02:00

The Pilot Cities Programme is expanding the reach of NetZeroCities by supporting four new non-Mission Cities as they test out new decarbonisation activities at the local scale. Focusing on data collection, governance, circular economy activities, energy efficiency, and more, these Pilot Cities are joining an ambitious group of urban changemakers testing out our next best moves towards climate neutrality. Rivne’s Plans for Better Data Rivne, Ukraine is focusing local Pilot City activities on data collection, building on its already significant emissions reductions and energy planning work to write a new Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan, or SECAP. A centralised online [...]

Expanding Horizons: Pilot Cities Programme Involves Non-Mission Cities2023-06-28T11:41:01+02:00
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