How can cities accelerate and scale their green transition in line with the European Green Deal while pursuing net zero goals? Part of the answer could lie in Local Green Deals (LGDs), such as mutual agreements between local governments and businesses. The European Commission’s Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) and the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) explored this through an interactive workshop on developed LGDs at the 2023 Brussels Urban Summit on 14 June.
“If we want to reach a net zero target, 50% of change will need to happen at the city level,” shares Dana Eleftheriadou, the head of Cities and Proximity for the European Commission. Like climate city contracts, LGDs can have broader ambitions, such as accelerating a net zero industry transition, clean mobility, decentralising energy systems and social inclusiveness. Having this go hand-in-hand with ICC’s aim to create a network of cities that learn from each other could lead to a better green and digital transition of local economies.
From Sustainable Development Goals to Alliance Engagements
The long-term goal of LGDs is to stimulate sustainable competitiveness, increase digital growth, and promote a Europe that works for the people. It is essential to be clear on the why, the what, the financing and the development path of current LGDs. This is what Niklas Mischkowski, a representative from ICLEI, pointed out, referencing the ICC’s LGDs Blueprint for Action.
With the vision of creating a robust network of LGDs across Europe, the workshop highlighted a few case studies that approach LGDs differently in various cities.
- Inspired by the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals: Mannheim (Germany) is guiding its LGD to achieve climate neutrality by 2030. They have a dedicated LGD governance with eight people and have built 19 local green deal partnerships across multiple sectors.
- A city-level focus: Amsterdam (The Netherlands) is closely examining the city’s needs. Its LGD hones in on the recycling of textiles, sustainable construction, bike usage, and reskilling at the local level for more green jobs in tech.
- A climate city contract: Umeå (Sweden) has signed more than 37 deals with local businesses as it focuses on implementing the Sweden climate contract.
- A vision tailored to the people: Valencia (Spain), winner of the 2022 European Green Capital Award, cultivates an “ecosystem of innovation” using different levels of strategic participation such as group engagement, networked transition team engagement, and alliance engagement.
With the launch of ICC 2.0, ICC moves to lead more strategic local green deals with an increased focus on industrial actors, clean tech and an improved training program for cities. ICC 2.0 will build upon ICC 1.0, which supported over 100 small and medium-sized cities over 30 months and focused on specific thematic tracks such as upskilling and green transitions in tourism.
ICC thanks all the speakers and attendants who joined the workshop with ICLEI and the Urban Summit.