100 EU cities and twelve partner cities want to become climate neutral by 2030 with the help of the European Union. According to a statement by the European Commission today, 75 percent of EU citizens live in cities.
“It is therefore important that cities serve as ecosystems of experimentation and innovation to help everyone else become carbon neutral by 2050.” The project is expected to be financed by €360 million by 2023.
In concrete terms, cities should invest in clean transport options, energy efficiency and green spaces, for example, and can receive research and advisory funds for this. They must come up with a plan with clear targets for all sectors – energy, buildings, waste and others – to become climate neutral, meaning no more climate-damaging gases that cannot be linked. In addition to the capital of the state of Carinthia, there are also metropolises such as Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Rome, Munich and Istanbul.
As part of its climate targets, the EU has set a target to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases such as CO2 by 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 and become climate neutral by 2050.