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Tartu is selected for the “100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030” mission
The city of Tartu, which is Estonia’s second-largest city, has been selected by the European Commission as one of its “100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030”, a mission which supports cities moving towards climate neutrality.
The 100 cities come from all 27 Member States, with 12 additional cities coming from countries associated with or with the potential of being associated with Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation program (2021-2027).
This EU mission represents a new way of bringing solutions to some of the biggest challenges and problems the world faces today.
Cities Mission will involve local authorities, citizens, businesses, investors as well as regional and national authorities to deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030 but also to ensure that selected cities act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050.
“100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030” mission is one of the European Union’s five missions. Other initiatives deal with problems involving soil, seas, and oceans, as well as cancer treatment.
Now, the next step that Tartu will take is going to be the development of a plan for climate neutrality across all sectors such as energy, buildings, waste management, and transport, together with related investment plans.
This is a huge step forward for the city of Tartu in reaching its climate-neutral goals more quickly. There are many benefits for the cities when reaching carbon neutrality. There will be less environmental pollution, improvements to health but also a boost to sustainable economic growth and the creation of green jobs.
“The project is great recognition of Tartu’s work and achievements so far. More importantly, the mission is a great prospect for Tartu and Estonia, local research institutions, and companies. It is a great opportunity to undertake ambitious projects with European structural funds and partners”, said mayor of Tartu Urmas Klaas. (photo credit: Julius Jansson/Unsplash)
