Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NetZeroCities (Accelerating cities' transition to net zero emissions by 2030)
Reporting period: 2022-10-01 to 2023-09-30
NetZeroCities (NZC) is designed to pursue the ambition of the Mission Implementation Plan for Climate Neutral and Smart Cities, as part of a broader European ambition to achieve climate neutrality before 2050. This ambition represents a substantial elevation of the degrees of decarbonisation and the timescale for achieving it. For all cities achieving this level of impact is an extraordinary undertaking and would require profound changes in how policies, projects and programmes are advanced by cities, with the direction and support of senior governments. NZC connects and builds beyond established programmes and experimental initiatives. NetZeroCities will create a programme tailored to the specific conditions of each city. All the services and thematic expertise will be aggregated and co-designed through a NZC one-stop-shop Platform and the digital portal and smart repository for impact measurement, capacity building and knowledge/tools dissemination. Cities will benefit from an intensive support relationship of dedicated City Advisors to navigate the platform and ensure city needs are adequately understood and addressed. NetZeroCities will support 30 pilots in European cities and, in subsequent rounds of engagement, more than 100 cities to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 (medium-term) and 2050 (long term). This will be achieved through the co-design and organisation of services, including the Climate-neutral City Contract as an enabling instrument.
Launch of NetZeroCities:
NetZeroCities, also referred to as the Mission Platform, became official on 1st October 2021, at the same time as the European Commission officially launched the Mission for ‘100 Climate-neutral and smart Cities by 2030’. On 28 April 2022, the European Commission selected the 100 cities from EU Member States to participate in the Cities Mission, with 12 additional cities selected from associated countries. To welcome these selected Mission Cities and start the work with the cities. In 2023 the second project conference was held in Brussels in June 2023 showcasing the work from RP2 and creating space for peer to peer learning.
Highlights of work with Mission Cities:
Activities with the selected Mission Cities started full swing in Autumn 2022. Highlights include the City Discovery Meetings with all Mission Cities and the call for the Pilot Cities Programme, the launch of the NZC Portal and the publication of the Climate City Contracts (CCCs) resource pack with tools and guidance to help cities design their CCCs. Several national Cities Mission networks organically developed in Member States, towards which the consortium also lent its support. .
Twelve Climate Neutral City Advisors to provide more tailored support and guidance were in place by September 2022 and matched with cities. City Advisors started City Discovery Meetings with each of the 112 Mission Cities as part of the Support Needs Assessment Process.
In September 2022, the NetZeroCities Portal went live as the online collaboration space and content repository for cities aiming to achieve climate neutrality. There is additionally an interactive Climate Transition Map to help navigate cities’ paths to climate neutrality, A Capability Building Programme has been developed in RP2 and comprises of six modules designed to support cities at every step of the Climate Transition Map. The portal will continue to evolve with further functionalities and iterations, allowing the project’s organisational structures and processes to develop through working with the cities.
The 2030 Climate Neutrality Climate City Contract (CCC) has become a flagship component of the project and of the Cities Mission. These contracts, co-created with local stakeholders and citizens and supported by NetZeroCities, will contain a climate action and investment plan to reach climate neutrality by 2030. The Climate City Contract gives access to the Mission Label, which is a recognition of quality and feasibility of climate action commitments. There has been high interest from cities to develop CCCs and the template and guidance documents were published October 2022. As part of the CCC Window 1 Submission (Spring 2023), the NZC Support & Feedback process was also introduced. In March 2023, 15 cities submitted their CCC to NetZeroCities for a completeness check and in September 2023 they were followed by another 27 cities.
Fifty-three cities have now been selected to embarked on unprecedented climate action under the Pilot Cities Programme. This work is exploited through the Twinning programme where 40 cities from across Europe have been announced as the first cohort of Twin Cities, joining the growing network of cities engaging with the Mission.
NetZeroCities, also referred to as the Mission Platform, became official on 1st October 2021, at the same time as the European Commission officially launched the Mission for ‘100 Climate-neutral and smart Cities by 2030’. On 28 April 2022, the European Commission selected the 100 cities from EU Member States to participate in the Cities Mission, with 12 additional cities selected from associated countries. To welcome these selected Mission Cities and start the work with the cities. In 2023 the second project conference was held in Brussels in June 2023 showcasing the work from RP2 and creating space for peer to peer learning.
Highlights of work with Mission Cities:
Activities with the selected Mission Cities started full swing in Autumn 2022. Highlights include the City Discovery Meetings with all Mission Cities and the call for the Pilot Cities Programme, the launch of the NZC Portal and the publication of the Climate City Contracts (CCCs) resource pack with tools and guidance to help cities design their CCCs. Several national Cities Mission networks organically developed in Member States, towards which the consortium also lent its support. .
Twelve Climate Neutral City Advisors to provide more tailored support and guidance were in place by September 2022 and matched with cities. City Advisors started City Discovery Meetings with each of the 112 Mission Cities as part of the Support Needs Assessment Process.
In September 2022, the NetZeroCities Portal went live as the online collaboration space and content repository for cities aiming to achieve climate neutrality. There is additionally an interactive Climate Transition Map to help navigate cities’ paths to climate neutrality, A Capability Building Programme has been developed in RP2 and comprises of six modules designed to support cities at every step of the Climate Transition Map. The portal will continue to evolve with further functionalities and iterations, allowing the project’s organisational structures and processes to develop through working with the cities.
The 2030 Climate Neutrality Climate City Contract (CCC) has become a flagship component of the project and of the Cities Mission. These contracts, co-created with local stakeholders and citizens and supported by NetZeroCities, will contain a climate action and investment plan to reach climate neutrality by 2030. The Climate City Contract gives access to the Mission Label, which is a recognition of quality and feasibility of climate action commitments. There has been high interest from cities to develop CCCs and the template and guidance documents were published October 2022. As part of the CCC Window 1 Submission (Spring 2023), the NZC Support & Feedback process was also introduced. In March 2023, 15 cities submitted their CCC to NetZeroCities for a completeness check and in September 2023 they were followed by another 27 cities.
Fifty-three cities have now been selected to embarked on unprecedented climate action under the Pilot Cities Programme. This work is exploited through the Twinning programme where 40 cities from across Europe have been announced as the first cohort of Twin Cities, joining the growing network of cities engaging with the Mission.
Expected results:
- NetZeroCities will support systemic transformation of cities towards climate neutrality by 2030 and beyond, by forging and operating a European platform for cities to access tailored services & expertise to support the climate-neutral transformation in cities.
- NetZeroCities will support Mission cities to develop their Climate City Contract
- NetZeroCities will support 53 cities with direct funding through the Pilot City Programme
- NetZeroCities will support 40 cities through the Twinning Programme
- NetZeroCities will help European cities create enabling frameworks and build capabilities and ways of working to advance systemic change using innovation.
- NetZeroCities will facilitate a project pipeline for cities to accelerate progress toward climate neutrality.
Expected impacts: NetZeroCities offers a European approach to systemic transformation of cities with the goal of helping leading cities advance toward climate neutrality by 2030. This will help all European cities achieve carbon neutrality consistent with IPCC direction for climate stability.
The project will:
- contribute to achieving climate neutrality by 2030 in leading cities / districts due to the development and deployment of a comprehensive methodology, including selecting criteria, and model covering cross-sectoral governance, citizens participations, social innovation and social entrepreneurship impact, financing and policy approaches, and urban digital platform;
- catalyse systemic transformation of cities towards climate neutrality, via support from a European level structure
- cross social tipping points and support implementation of the European Green Deal, through social innovation that empowers cities and local communities
- lead the transition to climate neutrality by mobilising the demand (citizens’ needs) and showcase testing of innovative solutions drawing from European R&I through a socially inclusive mechanism
- accelerate European cities moving towards climate neutrality by 2030 through measures that demonstrate visible substantial reduction of GHG emissions and air pollution as part of an agreed pathway to climate neutrality by 2050 or earlier
- build innovation capacity and capability for accelerating climate-neutrality transition of over 100 EU cities and advancing the commitment from the CCCs
- reduce emissions through actions in cities that combine spheres such as mobility, green infrastructure, NBS, energy and retrofit, and that are underpinned by strong citizen engagement, which will have substantial impacts on the health, quality of live as well as the socio-economic well-being of urban dwellers.
- NetZeroCities will support systemic transformation of cities towards climate neutrality by 2030 and beyond, by forging and operating a European platform for cities to access tailored services & expertise to support the climate-neutral transformation in cities.
- NetZeroCities will support Mission cities to develop their Climate City Contract
- NetZeroCities will support 53 cities with direct funding through the Pilot City Programme
- NetZeroCities will support 40 cities through the Twinning Programme
- NetZeroCities will help European cities create enabling frameworks and build capabilities and ways of working to advance systemic change using innovation.
- NetZeroCities will facilitate a project pipeline for cities to accelerate progress toward climate neutrality.
Expected impacts: NetZeroCities offers a European approach to systemic transformation of cities with the goal of helping leading cities advance toward climate neutrality by 2030. This will help all European cities achieve carbon neutrality consistent with IPCC direction for climate stability.
The project will:
- contribute to achieving climate neutrality by 2030 in leading cities / districts due to the development and deployment of a comprehensive methodology, including selecting criteria, and model covering cross-sectoral governance, citizens participations, social innovation and social entrepreneurship impact, financing and policy approaches, and urban digital platform;
- catalyse systemic transformation of cities towards climate neutrality, via support from a European level structure
- cross social tipping points and support implementation of the European Green Deal, through social innovation that empowers cities and local communities
- lead the transition to climate neutrality by mobilising the demand (citizens’ needs) and showcase testing of innovative solutions drawing from European R&I through a socially inclusive mechanism
- accelerate European cities moving towards climate neutrality by 2030 through measures that demonstrate visible substantial reduction of GHG emissions and air pollution as part of an agreed pathway to climate neutrality by 2050 or earlier
- build innovation capacity and capability for accelerating climate-neutrality transition of over 100 EU cities and advancing the commitment from the CCCs
- reduce emissions through actions in cities that combine spheres such as mobility, green infrastructure, NBS, energy and retrofit, and that are underpinned by strong citizen engagement, which will have substantial impacts on the health, quality of live as well as the socio-economic well-being of urban dwellers.