BABLE and ClimateView are bringing you World Climate Change Day... early!

The clock is ticking on climate change. World Climate Change Day is on May 15. Today is May 11. So is this newsletter a mistake? A coincidence? No. It’s intentional. We’re announcing it early because we need to speed things up.?

To do so, ClimateView and BABLE Smart Cities are joining forces through a partnership. We have more in common than just our city-focus. We also love climate action that matters - and that moves quickly.?

So do the heroes in this newsletter: the climate strategists. Brave, gutsy and determined, they are using innovation to accelerate action in their cities –?from Europe to the US.

Three cities leveraging digital climate planning tools

Nottingham (UK) and its 2028 aim

Nottinham is aiming at climate neutrality by 2028. Just like the philosophy behind this article, their target is set a little earlier. We’re more used to seeing goals like 2030 or 2040, aren't we?

But this ambition was not a given. The City Council –?among the team, Rachel Unwin, a Senior Carbon Neutral Policy Officer –?found themselves faced with a difficult decision. Should they lower emissions quickly and face risks, or lower emissions slowly but surely? They knew that the latter could potentially increase cost and jeopardize hitting their target. But they also knew that the former would increase the chance of staying within the carbon budget and meeting the 2028 goal. After careful consideration and weighing the options, they chose the fast route. And in the end, Nottingham set an example for other cities to follow.

To reach their targets, the climate strategists in Nottingham digitalized their plan and built a broad-based plan for all sectors, backed by partners from public, private, and voluntary organizations (the Green Partnership) towards 2028.

Tyres? (SE) and making the most of existing resources

The decision to go digital was not straightforward for Tyres?. It is a smaller municipality in the archipelago outside Stockholm, with a goal set on carbon neutrality by 2030. The convincing factor for digital for a small team was the time to be saved. Indeed, no time was wasted.?

It took only 18 months for the Sustainability Strategist Felix Ockborn to involve citizens and create a cross-sectoral working group to make a digital, holistic approach to climate change. Not only did the digital platform end up accompanying the existing plans - but the municipality decided to explicitly make it the only version of the plan. There are fewer pdfs around in Tyres? today.??

Today, the citizens have access to the plan toward 2030 too. The municipality is seen as a schoolbook example of digital climate planning done right.

Cincinnati (US) and the inclusion of local communities

In 2008, the city of Cincinnati began working on a city-wide climate plan (the Green Cincinnati Plan) aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050. It was developed with equity and inclusion at heart, involving local communities with hundreds of stakeholders.

Since digitizing their planning, Cincinnati has been able to raise its target for reaching net zero by 2050 to a 100% reduction. This platform has helped the team, Robert McCracken and Oliver Kroner, make Cincinnati the first US city to publish a digital plan. The city of Cincinnati has surprised many in the Midwest with their innovative approach to both climate action and technology.?

Focused on equity, justice, and innovation and nearly 5.8 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent to remove in the coming decades, the task will require as much economic forecasting as climate planning. But the team feels confident in aiming high, starting the journey with wind in their sails.?

Three cities leveraging the power of partnerships for projects

Logro?o (ES) and its investment in energy communities

The City Council of Logro?o is spearheading a new type of investment concept. The effort, led by Javier Ridruejo, Head of Smart City and Technological Modernisation and Javier Gutierrez Gamarra, Technician in Innovation and Energy Planning, leveraged from the European City Facility (EUCF) funding programme to prepare an investment concept analysing the financial, technical, and legal feasibility of four large photovoltaic installations in city-owned parking lots and an energy community among public buildings. With the validation of the investment concept, the City Council will be able to attract investment, reduce its dependency on carbon-intensive energy sources, and set a benchmark for other City Councils wishing to develop energy communities.

The investment concept developed a guideline to set a unique contractual and legal form for developing photovoltaic installations under a supply and services contract with investment from a third party. If implemented, this contracting modality would become the first of its kind in Spain, setting an interesting opportunity for City Councils to fund the development of energy projects.

Galway (IE) and the EU Mission for 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities

The spirit of innovation is growing in Europe. Galway , like many other cities, is dreaming bigger now that Europe has pledged to lead on climate action. The EU? has set forth ambitious goals and directives to achieve that commitment. The Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe programmes, the European Green Deal and other European Union policies propel European Member States towards a 55% cut in emissions by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050. As part of it, the EU Commission has launched the Mission “100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030” with the aim for all European cities to follow suit by 2050.?

BABLE assisted Galway City Council to have access to this funding opportunity as part of the Net Zero Pilot Cities Programme to test and implement innovative approaches to rapid decarbonisation.

Stuttgart (DE) and the Climate Community Platform?

The City of Stuttgart understands the value of sharing best practices. The platform for Klima-Community Stuttgart e.V. was developed to promote and enable open innovation for its citizens with a view toward the municipality's sustainability goal.

On the platform, everybody is welcome to exchange ideas on the topic of climate protection and sustainability. The focus is on the Stuttgart area, but the community benefits also if the view goes beyond the edge of the Stuttgart "cauldron". Both private individuals and organizations can create a profile free of charge and get in touch with each other. Members will find a variety of offers, life hacks and events on the platform.

Klima-Community Stuttgart e.V. is a non-profit project supported by the Stuttgart Climate Innovation Fund of the City of Stuttgart. The strategic and technical implementation is carried out by the companies DPS Innovations GmbH and BABLE GmbH.

Time for action

Throughout the year, climate strategists are working tirelessly. And today, four days before World Climate Change Day, we couldn’t wait to give them kudos. Nottingham, Tyres?, Cincinnati, Logro?o, Galway and Stuttgart are all working around the clock to find innovative approaches for action. By setting ambitious goals and leveraging technology and partner synergies, they are doing their part to accelerate the transition. There’s no point in waiting for the right moment, is there??