Interview: How Cities Can Achieve Climate Neutrality

SWZ: The EU has the objective of achieving climate neutrality by 2050. What role do cities play in achieving this goal?

Giulia Ulpiani: It is unquestionable that sub-national players, with cities at the forefront, are uniquely positioned to shift climate balances and to boost the implementation of R&I solutions driving the green and digital transition. And it is not just about numbers (number of people living in cities, magnitude of the energy flows and greenhouse gas emissions), but it is also about the strategic role cities play in between industry, civil society, educational and research institutions, networks/NGOs in triggering a paradigm shift that is as much vertical (sector-by-sector) as it is horizontal (in governance, in citizen engagement, in social justice). This is why the European Mission on 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities (hereinafter Cities Mission) takes the European Green Deal to the local level and steps up the ambition by setting a target of climate neutrality by 2030.

What is the current state of affairs: How sustainable are European cities at this moment?
Cities in Europe have very different starting points, contexts, and challenges to deal with. For some of them, the target of climate neutrality by 2030 is a mild acceleration compared to their current targets, but for the vast majority it represents a substantial step forward. However, despite the diversified status quo, cities all over Europe are expressing their ambition to become climate neutral and smart.

What exactly do you mean by “climate-neutral cities”?
Climate neutrality comes with many definitions. Within the Cities Mission, being climate neutral means tackling 3 scopes, 5 sectors, 7 gases through 2 possible pathways. In detail, mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to be covered in the cities Mission are: Firstly, direct GHG emissions (Scope 1) within the city boundary from stationary energy (buildings/facilities/equipment), transport, waste / wastewater disposal and treatment, Industrial Processes and Product Use, and Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use. Secondly, indirect GHG emissions (Scope 2) within the city boundary due to the consumption of grid-supplied electricity and grid-supplied heat or cold. And finally, out-of-boundary GHG emissions (Scope 3) due to the disposal and treatment of waste / wastewater generated within the city boundary.

Emissions of the following GHGs have to be accounted for: CO2, CH4, N2O, HFCs, PFCs, SF6, and NF3. Mission Cities can aim for absolute-zero GHG emissions, that means 100% of greenhouse gas emissions are avoided, i.e. the city no longer emits or causes any greenhouse gases directly, or indirectly through the consumption of grid-supplied energy in the sectors/scopes covered by the climate neutrality definition of the Cities Mission. Otherwise they can aim for net-zero GHG emissions: the balance between direct reduction and offsetting of residual emissions is zero. Residual emissions can be tackled via carbon sinks (i.e., removals through natural and technological solutions, within the city boundary) and carbon credits (from outside the city’s boundary and subject to certain rules and restrictions).

Let us imagine the following situation: A city has decided that it wants to become climate-neutral. What are the next steps? What are the requirements?
For a city to embark on a climate neutrality journey, strategy and knowledge are critical. Cities need to get to know the flows that characterise their urban metabolism and how they interconnect with the regional and national level. They need to be holistically aware of the balances and dynamics that exist in their territory (such as those related to energy, mobility, biodiversity, air quality, social dynamics). This entails that cities need to collect data, ensure their quality, representativeness, and completeness and systematize the monitoring & reporting frameworks. This forms the basis for any informed decision. Cities need also to educate themselves about the instruments to enable a just and fast transition, including climate financing and investment planning, horizontal (cross-sectoral) knowledge and coordination skills, and they need to overcome potential fragmentation of responsibilities, which may hinder mainstreaming climate action. Cities need to have a citizen-centred approach, empower and include all groups in the co-creation of a liveable future, and they have to transform the project approach into a more integrated portfolio approach. Overall, the whole machine that comprises data, policy, ambition, partnerships, capacity, investment readiness, and social inclusion and justice needs to be activated. The bright side is that once the machine works, a variety of socio-economic and technological solutions are ready for deployment. This is what R&I programmes like Horizon 2020 have strived to create so that a solid foundation and a wide catalogue of solutions could be made available.

Shortly you talked about the 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission at the 4th International Conference SSPCR (Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions) at Eurac Research. What does this mission deal with? What are the aims of this mission?
The Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities will mobilise local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to achieve two objectives: First, to deliver at least 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 and second to ensure that these cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050. What is absolutely empowering about this Mission is that cities will learn so much from each other by being part of the same cohort and by being on the same fast-paced journey. This is a unique opportunity to steer peer-to-peer learning networks to increase knowledge, responsiveness, strategic planning, and operational capacity. Cities will get the most by learning from each other, especially those that share similar cultural backgrounds, social dynamics, risks and challenges, assistance needs and governance structures.

How is the EU going to support cities in becoming climate-neutral?
In late April 2022, the Commission announced the cities selected to be part of the Mission. The work starts now. The Mission Platform (a consortium of 33 partners established within the Horizon 2020 framework) will assess the cities’ needs and guide them in the preparation of their Climate City Contract. This comes in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding that includes commitments, actions, and financial planning, tailor made to the individual necessities of the city. While non legally binding, the Climate City Contract will be cocreated in spirit of multi-level governance, with the involvement of national authorities, regions and local stakeholders, including citizens and local economic actors. It will be signed by the Mayor (or equivalent), witnessed by the Commission and others. Therefore, it will be a highly visible commitment. In the meantime, the Commission will stay closely involved and focus on fostering national and regional networks, unlocking synergies between programmes for cities and between other EU Missions, putting in place support for cities (beyond the pool of the selected ones), enhancing access to funding and financing, for instance through the Horizon Europe Work Programme.

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission will keep working closely with the Commission’s Directorate-General for Research and Innovation to sustain the Cities Mission by providing scientific, technical and methodological support, by designing methodological processes, including baselining for evaluation, and by promoting the capitalization on existing R&I solutions and initiatives. For instance, the JRC will catalyse the synergies with the Covenant of Mayors and will harness the associated capacity-building services created for cities, such as the dedicated EU Academy course that provides an open-access and innovative training on the know-how and skills to develop a successful Climate Action Plan so that climate ambitions can be turned into practice.

Interview: Silvia Santandrea

INFO Giulia Ulpiani in South Tyrol
Giulia Ulpiani is Project Officer for the European Commission Joint Research Centre Directorate C – Energy, Transport. She has visited South Tyrol as a guest of Eurac Research at the 4th International Conference SSPCR Smart and Sustainable Planning for Cities and Regions in July.