Dear UBC colleagues,
This autumn has been very active in terms of new openings and exchange with our member cities on the important topic of climate change, and we are very happy to share with you some of the latest news regarding our joint activities supporting cities climate actions!
It was shortly before the summer break that we received a positive funding decision from Interreg BSR Programme on two new projects directly contributing to the strategic objectives of our UBC Sustainability Action Programme and focusing on closing the gaps in sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMPs for BSR) and climate budgeting (Climate-4-CAST). With both projects starting in November, we aim to deliver transferrable solutions for sustainable mobility systems in cities and integration of climate actions into urban governance processes, at the same time helping to accelerate the efforts to achieve the EU's target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.
These new projects are not only of great relevance to our member cities but will also support other cities in the region that are already struggling due to lack of adequate resources or capacity to implement important climate change mitigation and adaptation measures. Multiplayer effect that we want to focus on in coming years in all our new projects will allow to replicate successful examples from city to city and create a lot of scope for all stakeholders to engage. None of our member cities will be left behind!
Cooperation between local authorities is essential to taking meaningful action on climate change and UBC is committed to take active role in supporting cities in this endeavor. I am delighted that our member cities have been regularly disclosing their climate footprints and actions to CDP global platform, showcasing at the same time some of the most ambitious greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. You will find more insights in the results of the 2023 UBC-CDP disclosure in the respective article, and more highlights are coming up in our annual report to be published later this year.
I think we all understand that achieving the objective of climate neutrality will require all governance levels and sectors to contribute to the green transition, and therefore at UBC SCC we are constantly stemming to create flywheels for actions and engage our member cities in important discussions at the events and regional fora. On the following pages you will find inspiring stories and highlights from UBC General Conference in Palanga, UBC Sustainable and Planning Cities Commission meeting in Turku and EUSBSR Annual Forum in Riga as well as other initiatives!
I wish you enjoyable read and good start of the winter season!
Agnieszka Ilola
Head of Secretariat
UBC Sustainable Cities Commission