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.
