The UBC member cities disclosing their data in 2021 were: Aarhus from Denmark, Helsinki, Turku, Porvoo, Lahti, Kemi and Espoo from Finland, Rostock from Germany, Riga from Latvia, Klaipeda, Panevėžys and Taurage from Lithuania, Arendal and Bergen from Norway, Gdynia from Poland, Linköping, Malmö, Trelleborg, Söderhamn, Umeå, and Växjö from Sweden

Despite another challenging year, the level of ambition in climate mitigation work remains high among our member cities. The EU has set an ambitious goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050 and achieving it will be a joint effort. It will require efforts on all fronts and governance levels from national to local, because although though cities are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, they are also key actors in making a change in the region. Cities can, among other things, influence national-level policies, implement sustainable solutions in city development, and raise awareness among their citizens.

Luckily, cities have already started their journey on this path, as the report shows. In 2021, all UBC member cities reporting stated that sustainability goals are a part of their city’s masterplan and most of them reported that they are striving to become climate neutral already by 2030. All cities reporting stated that they have, or are planning to take up one very soon, a climate change mitigation plan, as well as a renewable energy target. Most of them also had targets regarding energy efficiency, and all of them are looking into improving their waste management, as well as increasing the sustainability of their mobility matters.

We are proud of all the UBC cities for publicly disclosing their data to CDP and helping us to promote the Baltic Sea Region as a forerunner in building strong, sustainable, and resilient cities. As the new reporting period for 2022 opens in the beginning of April, we hope to hear more best practices, useful tools, and insights from all our member cities. To learn more about the disclosure process, click here.