The EU wants to make Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. The European Green Deal, a plan endorsed by all member states, was subsequently launched to curb our CO₂-emissions, create jobs, limit traffic congestion, make food healthier, reduce social inequality, protect biodiversity, improve water quality, and drive technological innovation. In short, to make life in Europe better.

Cities worldwide consume more than half of all energy and account for as much as 70% of CO₂ emissions*. In the European Union, about three-quarters of the population lives in urban areas. This makes European cities well placed for leading the transition to a sustainable society. In 2022 the European Commission launched the mission "100 Climate-neutral and Smart Cities by 2030”: one hundred cities have taken on the challenge to increase their climate ambitions and efforts. These cities will pave the way and seek solutions to obstacles, and prove that change is possible. The City of Leuven responded to the call. As an innovative, value-driven city, Leuven prefers to be in the vanguard over lagging behind. We see it as our responsibility to play a pioneering role in Europe. To seize opportunities on the path to a sustainable future. We also firmly believe that achieving climate neutrality will ensure that the City of Leuven continues to be an amazing place to live. For everyone.

In the spring of 2022, we were selected as one of the EU mission cities.

The First Leuven Climate City Contract

Europe has asked three things of all mission cities: 1) develop a plan towards climate neutrality by 2030, 2) ask commitments from partners to implement the actions set out in the plan, and 3) set up a financial model to fund these actions. The Leuven Climate City Contract is our response to these requirements and accelerates our ambitions to become climate neutral.

By analyzing our CO₂ emissions, we were able to identify several key priorities and analyse the barriers that stand in the way of a swift transition. The over 80 breakthrough projects outlined in the Leuven Climate City Contract were handpicked to address these barriers and scale up quickly, thus maximizing impact. For each breakthrough project, we have secured commitments from partners within our ecosystem who have pledged to actively contribute to their implementation. We have also set up an investment strategy that provides insight into the financial resources, mechanisms, and levers needed to fund these breakthrough projects and our overall transition. An overview of these projects and commitments, as well as our financial strategy, can be found in the Leuven Climate City Contract magazine.

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While the City of Leuven and Leuven 2030 have taken the lead, this Leuven Climate City Contract would never have come to life without the efforts of numerous organizations, companies and residents. All of these partners have shared their ambitions and challenges, helping us identify breakthrough projects that address multiple issues at once, allowing us to take major steps forward. And because partners from all sectors of society are joining hands, we are creating solutions with broad support. This Climate City Contract prepares our city for the future, by providing an opportunity we cannot miss.

Working Towards an Accelerated Reduction

If we fully implement all the breakthrough projects within the Leuven Climate City Contract, we can reduce our emissions by roughly 10%. But these selected projects provide solutions to challenges that we encounter in multiple area’s. If we succeed in scaling up these solutions based on our learnings, an 80% reduction would come into view.

Do you want to receive our Leuven Climate City Contract magazine featuring the stories behind a selection of breakthrough projects, including an overview of the guiding principles and our financial strategy? Simply request a copy online. Would you like to access the full technical report we submitted to the EU? Please send an email to Klimaatcontract@leuven.be.

Find out more about the first Leuven Climate City Contract via our newsletter (currently only available in Dutch), website, and our Facebook and LinkedIn pages.