Majority of large European cities get more ambitious on climate goals

A new survey by Eurocities brings encouraging news to COP26

Recently, Eurocities conducted a survey at the local level and its interim results show that 65% of large cities on the continent have already revised upwardly their climate targets for 2030 in order to make them more comprehensive, more far-reaching and more effective in the short to mid-term.

These encouraging developments at the urban level were also likely boosted by key policy events at the EU level, such as the start of the European Green Deal and the adoption of the EU Climate Law earlier this year.

More than just target-setting

The survey, which aims to monitor the ambitions of large cities all around Europe to fight climate change, demonstrates that this is about more than just target setting. The goals are followed through with actions and supporting measures to accelerate the transition:

• 62% of cities said they offer support to citizens for small-scale renewable installations;
• A majority (55%) provide renovation support for vulnerable households;
• Some cities (16%) even offer direct debt relief from energy bills.

Moreover, 10 out of the 45 cities surveyed so far aim to be climate neutral by at least 2040 and some of them, such as Berlin, Debrecen, Florence and Glasgow have already managed to reduce their emissions output by over 40% in recent years.

"This shows why international action, such as we hope to see from leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, this week, is vital for cities," declared Dario Nardella, President of Eurocities and Mayor of Florence, adding: "Achieving large scale goals, such as keeping within 1.5^oC global warming takes action at all levels of government, and especially in our cities where most people live and most emissions are produced. That's why it's so important that city voices are included whenever international leaders meet to talk about climate because so often we are the ones that translate words into action."

Nonetheless, the results also make clear that not all cities have the same starting point or can enjoy the first-mover advantage. Structural challenges often hamper the possibility of Central and Eastern European cities from catching up, which is why stronger targeted efforts are needed to help them strengthen their climate action, including in the current EU recovery plans.

In light of this news, The Mayors Alliance for the European Green Deal, an initiative of Eurocities, will host a COP26 side event in Glasgow on Wednesday, 10 November, from 13:30-15:30 (GMT) to discuss how climate action and social progress can work hand in hand. It will be live-streamed direct so that people can get more familiar with what cities can do to turn around the challenges on climate.