The City of Lappeenranta has been awarded the EU Mission Label for its impressive and ambitious work for the climate. The Label was awarded at the EU Research and Innovation Days in Brussels on 21 March 2024. It was given by Mission Manager Patrick Child and received by Acting Mayor Jari Iskanius. Finance Director of the City of Lappeenranta.
− The Mission Label is a wonderful acknowledgement for the city. The city’s climate work supports the development of the region and continues to strengthen the green transition development work. Measures leading to climate neutrality will also get an extra boost, says Iskanius.
The Mission Label was awarded to the city for the implementation of the climate agreement. The Climate City Contract of the City of Lappeenranta is a progress plan that lists the measures to be implemented to achieve decarbonisation and the green transition. Measures are being taken on the local, regional and national level.
The plan includes separate climate action and climate investment plans. A significant part of the plan also involves the recently established transition team consisting of the largest companies in the area that is acting as a cooperation platform between the public and private sectors of the city.
According to City of Lappeenranta’s Environmental Director Ilkka Räsänen, the Mission Label award is proof of the city’s strengths in climate work. “In the future, the Label will help us to reinforce our weaker aspects, too,” Räsänen says.
− Our strengths include an almost completely carbon-neutral energy system, high materials recycling rate, several measures concerning the energy efficiency of buildings as well as cooperation in the development of green transition innovations with LUT University. The Label also gives us a better chance of strengthening our weaknesses. We can implement our biodiversity programme more effectively and continue to increase the number of conservation areas. A forest programme is also being prepared.
Mission Cities at the frontlines of climate work
The actions of cities are of crucial importance in mitigating climate change, because the share of cities of the world’s CO2 emissions is more than 70% and they consume over 65% of the world’s energy. Seventy-five percent of the population in Europe lives in urban areas, and it has been estimated that, by 2050, that figure will rise to 80%.
The Mission Cities are one line of action by the EU intended to promote climate neutrality and the green transition. The EU promotes and supports cities in achieving climate neutrality by offering expert assistance and funding for implementing measures and pilots in the cities. There are a total of 112 Mission Cities, 100 of which are within the EU. In addition to Lappeenranta, five other cities have also been selected for the Mission in Finland.
Lappeenranta has received several awards for its climate work from parties such as the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation (FANC) and the European Commission within the last decade. In 2021, Lappeenranta celebrated winning the Green Leaf Award of the European Commission for pioneering environmental work.
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