Latest News

A new project for UBC Commission on Environment has started. The CIVITAS-DYN@MO project will run until 2016 and is part of the CIVITAS initiative, aiming at creating cleaner and better transport in cities.

Nordic municipalities can have a significant impact on creating a more climate-friendly Nordic region. This study gathers valuable information about climate change management in Nordic municipalities and gives a general view to the local climate work in Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The study aims at recognising the success factors and needs for support in Nordic local climate change work. It is based on a web survey conducted between October 2011 and February 2012.

ELTIS is a Europe’s biggest web portal on urban mobility. It offers information and concrete advice on how to develop urban transport systems that use less energy while improving the mobility of freight and passengers and the quality of life of its citizens. ELTIS is aimed at professionals working in the fields of urban transport, environment, energy and health. At the ELTIS portal you can find:

9-11 May 2012, more than 65 participants from UBC member cities were gathered to discuss sustainable urban planning and launch a new training and support initiative in Halmstad, Sweden.

The CHAMP project (2009-2012) has now ended and we thank all the pilot cities and project partners that took part in developing new capacities to local climate change response around Europe. All project material will be available in the future through the www.localmanagement.eu portal. We invite you to explore

NET-COM –NETworking the Covenant Of Mayors- is a new started project coordinated by Energy Cities and funded in the framework of the Intelligent Energy Europe programme. UBC is one of the 12 partners and will play an active role in the project.

The UBC Good Practices Database was launched in March 2009 with 300 good practices from the Baltic Sea Region. We are proud to say that we have reached now 500 Good Practices in English and nearly 400 in Russian. The UBC Good Practice Database was developed to answer to the need of local authorities to find practical examples.

A new study by the University of Gothenburg reveals that a warmer climate will increase salinity in the Baltic Sea. Earlier, the science has believed that a warmer climate will increase river runoff to the Baltic Sea, thus making the sea less salty.

The LIFE+ funded project Green citizens of Europe (GREENCIT) started in October 2010 and will run until the end of 2014. The city of Umeå is taking the lead and UBC EnvCom is one of the partners.

With signing the agreement to become a supporting structure, UBC committed itself to encourage and support its member cities to join the Covenant of Mayors and implement Sustainable Energy Action Plans for a more sustainable future.

The city of Umeå, Sweden, is the winner of the Best Environmental Practice in Baltic Cities Award 2009. The winner was announced at the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) tenth General Conference in Kristiansand, Norway, on 25th September. As many other cities in Europe, Umeå has problems with air pollution. In fact, Umeå exceeds the limits, and that makes it one of the biggest challenges for the town.

Nordic Conference on Sustainable Development in the Baltic Sea Region will take place in Turku, Finland 31.1.-2.2.2011. The conference will be held in English, Swedish and Finnish. UBC Commission on Environment Secretariat is responsible for organizing the conference. We warmly welcome you to join the planning process of the conference!