Swedish municipalities fall behind on climate neutrality

Swedish municipalities’ climate neutrality targets are proving harder to meet than expected, as new emissions data show that many local governments in Sweden are not on track to reach their 2030 goals despite joining one of Europe’s most ambitious urban climate programmes. Nearly 50 Swedish municipalities are part of Viable Cities, a Swedish innovation programme that aims to help local authorities become climate neutral by 2030. The initiative was designed to make cities and municipalities frontrunners in the climate transition, but a review by Swedish news agency TT shows that progress remains limited and uneven. Why Swedish municipalities’ climate neutrality target is slipping The Climate Neutral Cities 2030 initiative includes 48 Swedish cities and municipalities working with national agencies and research partners. The programme is coordinated by KTH Royal Institute of Technology and funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, Vinnova and Formas. Its goal is not only to reduce emissions within municipal operations, but also to accelerate broader local transitions involving transport, energy, housing, procurement and cooperation with businesses. However, the latest available emissions data suggest that most participating municipalities are far from the pace required to reach climate neutrality by 2030. According to TT’s review, emissions increased in 16 … The post Swedish municipalities fall behind on climate neutrality appeared first on NordiskPost .