A tremendous effort analysing our data on 327 local climate mitigation policies has led to a new article focusing on their emissions reduction ambitions: will they be enough to lead Europe to a carbon neutrality?
Well, the answer is no. According to the most comprehensive and representative study in Europe to date, European cities need to double their ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality.
This new study, led by Monica Salvia, has been coauthored by all 35 members of our network in a great effort to collect, interpret and analyse policies across the 27 countries in the European Union, plus United Kingdom.
To access the (open access!) paper:
Salvia, M., Reckien, D., Pietrapertosa, F., Eckersley, P., Spyridaki, N.-A., Krook-Riekkola, A., Olazabal, M., De Gregorio Hurtado, S., Simoes, S. G., Geneletti, D., Viguié, V., Fokaides, P. A., Ioannou, B. I., Flamos, A., Csete, M. S., Buzasi, A., Orru, H., de Boer, C., Foley, A., … Heidrich, O. (2021). Will climate mitigation ambitions lead to carbon neutrality? An analysis of the local-level plans of 327 cities in the EU. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 135, 110253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110253