Achieving climate neutrality in a city is an ambitious and complex undertaking. The Climate Neutrality Support Pathways, designed by NetZeroCities, are designed to support cities beyond the 112 Mission Cities and help them learn from and adopt tried and tested practices. By drawing on the experiences of other cities, fostering collaboration within communities, and leveraging established tools and resources, cities can enhance their capacity to meet their climate goals.
What are the Climate Neutrality Support Pathways?
Support pathways propose curated services, tools, and resources designed to adapt to cities’ needs. Each pathway:
- Explains steps of the Climate Transition Map, the central framework developed by NetZeroCities outlining the process to climate neutrality
- Focuses on cities' specific challenges
- Highlights the support NetZeroCities can provide to achieve local goals
To capture the stages of the transition towards climate neutrality in cities, six Climate Neutrality Support Pathways have been identified:
- 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
While each city’s journey toward climate neutrality is unique, the pathways provide guidance in identifying a timeline, starting point, constraints, goals, previous efforts, and local dynamics for their specific transition. Cities can follow the pathways concurrently or consecutively.
Importantly, support pathways are designed to be flexible and complementary, allowing you to select resources that align with your city’s local priorities.
Building on the Climate Transition Map
To help cities navigate towards climate neutrality, NetZeroCities developed the Climate Transition Map, a strategic framework and visual representation outlining the steps cities undergo in transitioning towards climate neutrality. The map helps cities to identify their current position while outlining potential future steps.
NetZeroCities’ support tools and services accompany cities to understand where they may be on their 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.
Action needed
Explore and find out where your city stands!
Each support pathway aligns with a specific stage on the map, designed to address your city's unique needs and gaps. Once you've identified your city's stage, follow the corresponding support pathway.
How to navigate the Support Pathway
Support services of the Climate Neutrality Support Pathways on the NetZeroCities Portal
The Mission Platform offers support to help your city achieve climate neutrality, all accessible through the NetZeroCities Portal. Resources are grouped into four categories: Learn, Act, Connect, Get Inspired, and Collaboration with other initiatives.
Explore key resources, tools, community groups, and insights to help your city scale up climate action and build a healthier, more sustainable future.
Learn
Explore a wide range of articles, research papers, and guides that provide valuable insights into climate action strategies, policy frameworks, and best practices. This section is designed to help you build a strong foundation of knowledge as you plan your city's journey toward climate neutrality.
Connect
Engage in peer learning activities with Mission Cities and other cities to exchange knowledge, experiences, and solutions. This section is designed to facilitate collaboration and mutual learning, allowing cities to share best practices, overcome common challenges, and accelerate their journey toward climate neutrality. By connecting with others, your city can gain valuable insights and refine its climate strategies.
Other relevant initiatives and programmes
Cities 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 help cities tackle emissions, network with peers, set climate targets, develop action plans for 2050, and access funding and financing for their climate efforts.