Technical solutions for climate-neutral cities

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute outlines a framework for achieving climate-neutral cities, focusing on the identification of emission sources across three scopes and the deployment of efficiency and carbon capture technologies. It emphasizes a systems-thinking approach to urban mitigation, specifically targeting the transportation and built environment sectors while excluding large-scale electricity generation and general industry solutions.

• Cities are critical sites for climate mitigation because they house 56% of the global population and are responsible for 71–80% of global emissions.
• Effective urban climate mitigation requires a coordinated effort among municipal governments, industry, private citizens, and financiers to understand current greenhouse gas levels, identify emission sources, set future targets, and implement strategies.
• Urban emissions are categorized into three scopes: Scope 1 covers direct emissions (e.g., transportation and energy generation); Scope 2 covers indirect emissions from grid-supplied energy (electricity, heat, steam, or cooling); and Scope 3 covers all other indirect emissions within the value chain of goods and services.
• A review of climate plans from nine Swedish cities indicated that most prioritize Scope 1 and 2 emissions, with only some addressing Scope 3.
• Mitigation strategies are classified into three categories: reducing consumption (avoiding and shifting), improving operational and manufacturing efficiency of physical assets, and carbon capture and storage.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2022). Technical solutions for climate-neutral cities. https://www.sei.org/features/technical-solutions-for-climate-neutral-cities/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Technical solutions for climate-neutral cities. 2022. https://www.sei.org/features/technical-solutions-for-climate-neutral-cities/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Technical solutions for climate-neutral cities |date=17 May 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/features/technical-solutions-for-climate-neutral-cities/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2022technical, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Technical solutions for climate-neutral cities}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/features/technical-solutions-for-climate-neutral-cities/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }