Bergen will be a climate neutral city

The City Council is currently applying for status as one of 100 climate neutral cities in Europe. If Bergen is elected, the city must sign that it will be climate neutral in 2030.

Bergen will be a climate neutral city

The city council has already adopted a target that Bergen will be virtually emission-free by 2030.

- To be successful, stronger measures are needed in all areas, and then experiences and breakthroughs need to be shared. Cities excel, and Bergen is good at many things, such as environmentally friendly transport, zero-emission facilities and much more, says Thor Haakon Bakke, city councilor for climate, environment and urban development.

Bergen's climate emissions fell by 27 percent

Statistics show that Bergen is on on the right track. Emissions decreased by 6,2 percent from 2019 to 2020. Since 2009, Bergen's climate emissions have fallen by 27 percent, according to statistics from the Norwegian Environment Agency. At the same time, the pace must increase if the emissions target is to be achieved.

In the future, it will be important to continue electrification on roads and shipping, and to reduce air traffic. Also focusing on reuse and circulation systems, introducing carbon capture and storage in Rådalen, says Bakke.

If Bergen is selected as one of a hundred cities, it may be easier to access EU funds for implementing climate action.

The one hundred cities selected by the EU will have a common platform that will hopefully facilitate the exchange of knowledge and experiences. The groundbreaking work that is underway should be replicable and usable by other cities by 2050.

The EU says the list of the hundred selected cities will be ready by April.