The Climate Neutrality Support Pathways are designed to support cities beyond the 112 Mission Cities, to help them learn from the Mission Cities’ approach and accelerate their work towards climate neutrality. The Pathways are built on feedback received by cities that replied to a Needs Assessment Survey launched by NetZeroCities in April 2024.
In this chapter, you will learn about the six climate neutrality support pathways, the foundational approach they are built upon, and the range of services available to all cities through the Mission Platform.
What are the Climate Neutrality Support Pathways?
To guide cities toward climate neutrality, NetZeroCities has developed six Climate Neutrality Support Pathways:
- Climate Neutrality Foundations and Mission Approach
- Inclusive Ecosystem for Change and Social Innovation
- Monitoring and Learning
- Technological Solutions and Innovation
- Policy and Governance
- Finance and Business Models
The Pathways are designed to support any cities in Europe wanting to become climate neutral by 2050. While each city’s journey is unique, these pathways help identify a timeline and starting point for the local journey, depending on the city's constraints, goals, past efforts and local dynamics.
Each pathway:
- Explains stages of the Climate Transition Map
- Focuses on cities' specific challenges
- Highlights the support NetZeroCities can provide to achieve local goals
Importantly, these support pathways are designed to be flexible and complementary. They allow cities to choose options that align with their local priorities.
As services for all cities on the Mission Platform develop, the pathways will be refined to meet changing city needs and leverage external resources developed by other EU projects and initiatives.
Building on the Climate Transition Map
To help cities navigate towards climate neutrality, NetZeroCities developed the Climate Transition Map (see figure below). The map is a strategic framework and visual representation that outlines the phases cities undergo in transitioning towards climate neutrality.
Each city's journey is unique, the map helps cities to identify their current position while outlining possible future steps. NetZeroCities can accompany cities to understand where they may be in your journey – in the map – and where they may need to go next. But ultimately, each city’s team is the lead explorer on this journey.
Building on the Climate Transition Map’s approach, the six support pathways were identified to support your city’s journey towards climate neutrality.
Each support pathway is built around specific stages of the Climate Transition Map, focusing on addressing your city's specific needs and gaps. These pathways are supported by key resources, tools, and activities to help guide your city’s progress.
Support services of the Climate Neutrality Support Pathways
This list summarises the support services to be delivered by the Mission Platform, currently coordinated by NetZeroCities, to cities that are not yet part of the Cities Mission. All cities registering to the Mission Platform, the NetZeroCities Portal, will access its services, which include a knowledge repository, access to tools, services and data to cite a few.
To do
City Readiness Tool
The Joint Research Center (JRC) is developing a self-assessment tool to help cities assess their starting point on the path to climate neutrality and guide them through tailored support pathways, including resources, peer groups, and capacity-building activities, as outlined in the Climate Transition Map.
NetZeroCities Barometer
The NetZeroCities barometer provides quantitative information on cities’ progress toward climate neutrality, allowing them to view greenhouse gas reduction progress and emission reduction efforts for selected Mission Cities, along with key indicators such as stakeholder engagement and invested capital.
NetZeroPlanner
The NetZeroPlanner is an online Climate Investment Plan tool available through the NetZeroCities Portal, that enables cities to assess the emissions reduction and financial investment impacts of their climate action plans, providing a decarbonization roadmap through 2030, assigning costs and benefits to sectors and stakeholders, and offering annual performance reports to track and adjust progress.
To exchange
Capability-building programme
A structure for the capability-building program, an online learning platform designed to help cities accelerate their transition to climate neutrality, already exists on the Mission Portal, but NetZeroCities will conduct a gap analysis of the current six thematic modules to ensure they meet the needs of new cities joining the Mission Platform.
Online Discussion Groups
Online Discussion Groups will connect Mission Cities and new cities on the Mission Platform to exchange insights on climate strategies across sectors like energy, mobility, and circular economy, within a four-phased learning program designed by NetZeroCities.
Group Study Visits
The Group Study Visits are two-day in-person events hosted by Mission Cities that offer hands-on project exploration, insights into Climate City Contract implementation, and opportunities for idea exchange on replicating solutions.
Twinning Programme
The Twinning Programme is a 12-month peer-learning initiative for in-depth knowledge exchange between Mission Cities and new cities joining the Mission Platform, focusing on climate-related actions aligned with the interests of applicant cities from the Mission Cities' catalogue of solutions.
National platforms
National platforms facilitate knowledge sharing and dialogue between cities on challenges - such as policy and regulatory barriers - and provide support in funding, capacity-building, and data; NetZeroCities will assist both existing and emerging structures while creating opportunities for multi-level dialogues in countries lacking these frameworks.
NetZeroCities Community of Practice
The NetZeroCities Community of Practice brings together primarily non-city actors - such as private sector representatives, academia, non-profits, civil society, independents, and various government levels- under the Mission Portal’s non-commercial Code of Conduct to exchange knowledge and innovation while offering additional training and learning opportunities for cities outside the Cities Mission through activities like webinars, city challenges, and pathway-focused training.
Get inspired
The Mission Portal provides access to a comprehensive collection of case studies and methods covering various aspects of cities' climate neutrality journeys. These include co-creation and stakeholder engagement experiences, the implementation of technological solutions for decarbonisation, financial frameworks, social innovation and governance approaches. Cities that are not part of the Cities Mission will be able to access these case studies and learn from the experiences, pitfalls, and approaches of other cities.
Other relevant initiatives and programmes
Collaboration with other initiatives
Cities that are not part of the Cities Mission will have the opportunity to connect with other projects and initiatives such as Horizon Europe projects funded under the Cities Mission, the Covenant of Mayors, CIVITAS, and the Smart Cities Marketplace. These connections will assist cities in addressing emissions from specific sectors, networking with like-minded cities, joining communities, setting targets, developing action plans toward achieving climate neutrality by 2050, and obtaining guidance on funding and financing for climate initiatives.